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Re: Reading Estrada’s book ...
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In a message dated 08/01/2008 15:13:11 GMT Standard Time, spklein52@HOTMAIL.COM writes: Nabokov himself called Lolita “a vain and cruel wretch,”
A.Stadlen observed: ??? HH in fact.
SK's quoted article added: "But it also possible for different readers to read the same book, savor the same words, and yet emerge with varying interpretations and ways of appreciating the work."
JM: Thank God!
Nabokov, as usual, allowed this situation to appear as ambiguous and enticing as possible.
Either he, or Van, once described Proust's Albertine as a vain, vulgar woman, devoid of particular charms. Why not admit that sexually precocious Lolita (VN's character knew quite a lot for her age, at that age, at that small town) could be a common pubescent girl, perhaps even a cruel wretch HH envisioned as an enthralling nymphet whom all other male adults would also covet?
And yet, whatever Lolita's vanity or depravity, it would still be any adult's duty to resist to her advances and keep from further mischief - whereas HH apparently did not.
So what? This is not only what the novel "Lolita" is about, even if it stimulates a common reader's sense of moral superiority along other diverse "empathetic" feelings...
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A.Stadlen observed: ??? HH in fact.
SK's quoted article added: "But it also possible for different readers to read the same book, savor the same words, and yet emerge with varying interpretations and ways of appreciating the work."
JM: Thank God!
Nabokov, as usual, allowed this situation to appear as ambiguous and enticing as possible.
Either he, or Van, once described Proust's Albertine as a vain, vulgar woman, devoid of particular charms. Why not admit that sexually precocious Lolita (VN's character knew quite a lot for her age, at that age, at that small town) could be a common pubescent girl, perhaps even a cruel wretch HH envisioned as an enthralling nymphet whom all other male adults would also covet?
And yet, whatever Lolita's vanity or depravity, it would still be any adult's duty to resist to her advances and keep from further mischief - whereas HH apparently did not.
So what? This is not only what the novel "Lolita" is about, even if it stimulates a common reader's sense of moral superiority along other diverse "empathetic" feelings...
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm