Abstract This paper examines the use of the literary device, framed narrative, in Nabokov's "Lolita." First, the paper defines the term framed narrative. It then suggests that this device was used in "Lolita" because of the novel's controversial content. Finally, the author suggests that Nabokov may have used framed narrative to protect himself, and possibly his position as a tenured professor.
From the Paper "As for Nabokov's note at the end, called "On a Book Entitled Lolita" (pp. 313-319), Lolita's true author ("Foreword" included), Vladimir Nabokov, comes clean immediately, in the first line of this "afterward" note to the reader, about his "impersonation of suave John Ray" (Nabokov, Lolita, p. 313). Nabokov then tells us in detail about both the genesis of, and the creative processes that went into his writing of Lolita, assuring us along the way that (1) the original idea for Lolita was a very old one, and has in fact seen several metamorphoses, on two continents, before finally emerging into the public eye, as the book it is today; (2) his urge to write it was solely a literary one (and he has in fact been writing novels, in not one language but two, since 1924), and once the idea finally emerged into the raw form of a novel, he had no creative choice but (like an itch that simply must be scratched) to finish it; (3) that he had initially been reticent to sign his own name to the book; (4) that he is in fact a stably married man, with hobbies, interests, and a routine kind of life ("Every summer my wife and I go butterfly hunting" (p. 314)), and that this particular work, his own artistic creation Lolita, is a work of art, not pornography (". . . in pornographic novels, action has to be limited to the copulation of cliches", p. 315)"
Abstract This paper discusses Nabokov's famous novel, "Lolita," and explores what the book might have been like had it been written by a female writer. The paper contends that a female author would have created a more complex and sympathetic characterization for Lolita. The paper explains that a female novelist would have allowed Lolita's motivations to be more transparent, and the reader would better understand why Lolita became Humbert's lover and why she rejected him.
From the Paper "Nabokov's famous novel, Lolita, would have some important and essential differences had it been written by a woman. A female writer would have created a more complex and sympathetic characterization for Lolita, expanding on Nabokov's treatment of Lolita as simply a vulgar personification of the qualities of the nymphet. The impact of Humbert's obsession with Lolita and their sexual affair would have been explored more thoroughly by a female author. Further, Humbert would have felt a deeper remorse for his actions in the hands of a woman writer."
A comparative analysis paper about "Lolita" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman". In both "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and "Lolita", unconventional parental relationships lead to abnormalities in the behaviors of Molina and Lolita, respectively.
2,420 words (approx. 9.7 pages), 8 sources, 2001, $ 73.95
Abstract This paper compares Nabakov's "Lolita" with Puig's "Kiss of the Spider Woman". The author discusses the unconventional parent-child relationships between the main characters and their mothers, and how such characters were viewed as abnormal by society's standards. The paper examines how parental behavior toward offspring, as well as popular culture, can affect an individual's sexuality. The author frequently quotes both novels in the essay.
From the Paper "Kiss of the Spider Woman and Lolita examine the effects of ineffective parenting while attempting to show that society is the cause of the very behaviors it condemns. Molina's close relationship with his mother, through no intentional fault on her part, causes Molina's homosexuality and feminine behavior. Molina does not have any other role model besides his mother from whom to learn interpersonal skills, and therefore wants all relationships to be as satisfying as his relationship with her. Charlotte and Lolita have very different temperaments, resulting in a parent-child dyad that causes Charlotte to constantly criticize Lolita's actions, forcing Lolita to respond through rebellion. Both Puig and Nabokov attempt to show that while society shuns homosexuality and adolescent promiscuity in their respective characters, popular culture is the origin of the behaviors that it condemns and that these behaviors are socially learned."
Abstract This paper explains how, in the novel, "Lolita," written by Vladimir Nabokov, the author illustrates the downward spiral of human desire. Through the lens of Humbert's obsession with 'la nymphette Lolita', Humbert, thrown back and forth between desire and decision, crosses countless times the slim and shadowy line between purest ecstasy and the most wretched despair. It shows how, in "Lolita," Nabokov blurs the defining lines between love and perversion, right and wrong, presenting them in uncomfortably close juxtaposition as essentially dependent upon each other.
From the Paper "Humbert Humbert is a tortured man, deeply divided between a sensitive rationality, and his undeniable lust for a forbidden and unripened fruit. United in him are the impulses of a romantic European gentleman and the obsessions of a lascivious and lecherous old man silently lusting after the tantalizingly ephemeral nymphet. After years of this silent lust, of "... abusing himself in the dark..."(88), Humbert Humbert finds Lolita. Lolita is an ultimate nymphet; she gives herself up to H.H.'s desire, going with him on a perverse holiday across the American landscape. This "... satisfaction of Humbert Humbert's passion..."(175) is the seed of his own destruction. It is at this point in the novel that the reader discerns in its entirety the complex tragedy of Humbert Humbert. In his own way, he loves Lolita with all the tenderness in his heart, "... I loved her hopelessly... it was love at first sight, at last sight, at ever and ever sight..."(270); his love transcends his lust for her as a nymphet and he is painfully aware of the harm he inflicts upon her. However, he cannot ignore his desires and carnal passions: "The moral sense in mortals is the duty we have to pay on mortal sense of duty."(283)"
Abstract This paper demonstrates that the character of Humbert Humbert in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" is a tragic example of moral failure, where he strove to inure himself against his own innermost desires and was successful until Lolita corrupted his will.
Abstract The paper begins with a brief introduction utilizing an old saying. It continues into the construction of gender that Vladimir Nabokov portrays throughout the novel, "Lolita". The paper peers into Humbert's and Quilty's respective constructions initially and later in the novel. This paper was from a postmodernist perspective.
From the Paper "In the novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Butler's theory of self-construction applies magnificently to the novel's construction of gender. Throughout the novel, masculinity and femininity are constructed, deconstructed, and rebuilt by the actions of the protagonist, Humbert, in order to better facilitate his changing goals and desires. Consequently, one learns that gender's only constant facet is change."
Abstract This paper examines Vladimir Nabokov's novel, "Lolita," on the relationship between a middle-aged man and a 12-year-old girl. It argues that it is art and not pornography.
Tags: pornography, art, art aesthetic, novel, sexuality, characterization, allegory
Abstract The paper discusses Nabokov's novel, "Lolita," that focuses on the invalid nature of the narrator's attempted justification for why we should not judge him morally for his seduction of a prepubescent nymphet.
From the Paper "Because of its depiction of the sexual obsession of a suave literary pedophile's for a prepubescent girl, Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" shocked readers and critics alike upon publication. However, the narrator Humbert attempts to provide us with an account of his nymphet love in a manner that tries to justify his pedophilia as driven by an artistic aesthetic."
Abstract This paper discusses the novel "Lolita," by Vladimir Nabokov, which is a story about a pedophile and his relationship with a young 12 year old girl. It particularly focuses on one of the primary themes in the work which has often gone overlooked; that of love. The paper follows this theme through the story and explains how it influences the events that take place.
From the Paper "Humpert loved Lolita for what she was and what she represented, but not as a person. He exerted power and influence over her to meet his own selfish desires; not because he truly loved her. But in this way, love is a major theme of Lolita. Love is the driving force of the work as love is the cause of the madness and the actions which follow. However, it is a love gone wrong, a love tainted with obsession. Humpert loves an idea and loves nothing else. He is mad and his love is an obsessive kind that drives all the major characters towards dismay endings. Thus Lolita is perhaps also a warning on the dangers of unjust love, the power of love, and the often indiscernible differences between love and obsession. Lost must be giving, and Humpert is always taking. He cannot truly have loved Lolita for he wanted to put her to sleep and kill her mom to achieve his goals. But his desire for the girl is something more than ordinary and can be construed as love, and even the product of a previous love that ended in tragedy. Humpert therefore is a character who is caught the middle of madness, love, obsession, and a twisted perspective on life. But because his love is false, it does not make Lolita something other than a love story. Even at times when Humpert finds love with Lolita, it does last and his obsessive nature means he always unfulfilled until the very end."
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes the book "The Annotated Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. Specifically, the paper discusses the role of doubles in the novel, and their importance in terms of the overall meaning and implication of the novel. The paper relates that, in this controversial and risque novel, Humbert and Quilty are doubles of each other, with Quilty representing the dark, evil side of Humbert's personality. They seem opposite during much of the book, but in reality, they are very much alike in many ways, and in the end, they blur together into one tragic and demented character
From the Paper "Humbert and Quilty seem in direct opposition for much of this sexy novel. Humbert is French, Quilty is American, and they both disdain the other's country. Humbert is a literary snob, while Quilty is a cheap porn producer. Humbert is obsessed with Lolita, and will do just about anything to have her, from marrying her mother to attempting to locate her all across the country. Quilty, on the other hand, although he tracks them throughout the country, is not as obsessed with Lolita, and actually throws her out when she refused to star in his next porn film. Humbert is psychotic and has spent time in institution, while Quilty is content to manipulate his friends and her, never admitting there might be something wrong with him. While Humbert seems to almost revere Lolita, and at first, he did not want to molest her, Quilty, in contrast, is a "complete freak in sex matters" (Nabokov 278)."
Abstract This paper examines the running theme of Humbert's sexuality and lust in Nabokov's "Lolita". It looks at how, for Humbert, love can only be seen in the context of his powerful desire to sexually possess the object of his attention and how, thus, he is unable to express any love for the teenage Lolita, filial or romantic, without turning her into an object of his lust. It analyzes how Humbert treats the other women in his life, from Annabel Leigh, Valeria, and Charlotte Haze to the insane Rita. It also discusses how, for Humbert, the level of sexual attraction determines whether or not a woman would be treated with love. It then contrasts Humbert's relations with these other women with his defining relationship with the nymphet, Lolita. It evaluates arguments that Humbert Humbert's attentions were akin to pedophilia or rape or that his lust was brought on by its forbidden nature versus other theories that state how Humbert's sexual desire is also an expression of his love for the adolescent Lolita. It argues that Humbert's willingness to commit murder on her behalf is proof that he not only lusted, but also loved the nymphet, Lolita.
From the Paper "Instead of a simple psychological motivation, however, critic Daniel Thomieres observes that a careful reader could see how Humbert can easily interpret these events as he wishes, to make himself sympathetic before launching into the details of his adult relationship with Lolita. As proof, Thomieres rightly points out that Humbert could not even recall Annabel's physical traits. Humbert has lost her photograph and admits that the way he sees Annabel in his mind is also "the way I see Lolita" (11). Through the first person narration, Thomieres also discerns that Humbert does not let Annabel speak for herself. In a sense, Annabel provides "(her) bod(y) and den(ies) her mind so as to incarnate that fantasy for Humbert Humbert" (Thomieres 168). Humbert states that she wanted him as much as he desired her, but nowhere in the account does he give Annabel a voice."
Abstract This paper discusses whether Nabokov's Lolita is a manipulative woman or whether the men who fall for her are falling for her charms. Also discussed are how women older than Lolita would react in her position.
Abstract This paper presents an analysis of Poe's influence on Stanley Kubrick's cinematic adaptation of Nabokov's novel.
From the Paper "From this wicked confessional on Humbert Humbert, the protagonist/ doppleganger of Vladimir Nabokov's 1961 novel Lolita, we can begin to explore the question as to the true identity of Lolita, the child nymphet, the Odysseyian siren, the uncorrupted maiden "chaste as morning dew" who destroyed Humbert's mind and life. According to Humbert the diarist."
Abstract This paper analyzes how the use of language in "Lolita" is meant to change the reader's perception of the protagonist's actions.
From the Paper "In his novel, Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov writes of a man, Humbert Humbert, plagued by his uncontrollable desire for the love of nymphets. Humbert acknowledges how those reading his accounts will judge them as amoral and wrong, so he attempts to use language, the descriptive analysis of events and people, to create a bond between himself and the reader."
Abstract The paper shows how death stands as a continuous presence in the two books, serving as a motivator, a metaphor, a threat, and a theme all at the same time. The paper gives a brief summary of "Lolita" and explains that it portrays American culture as a denial of death. It shows how the main character is an aging man trying to return to youth and in so doing so trying to escape death. The paper then summarizes "Catch-22", and details how the characters are surrounded by death and the threat of death at all times. It shows how the characters are haunted by the image of death. The paper then compares the two novels showing that death is both a threat and a way out in both stories.
From the Paper "The entire structure of the army in war becomes a metaphor for life, with death always hanging over everyone, and with no way of escaping it. Numerous characters die in the course of the novel, some in seemingly normal ways during wartime, hit by enemy fire, and others in inexplicable ways, like Clevinger, who just flies into a cloud and disappears. Doc Daneeka becomes a living metaphor for what has happened to everyone--he is made "dead" by a bureaucracy that can make a man seem to die by writing it in a report. He is truly a dead man among the living, just as they are all living men constantly among the dead."
