week 6/ Lolita

This is the second of two posts on the novel "Lolita". For this post I'd like to focus on the second half of the dilemma of reading the novel; if one focuses solely on the subject, then one demeans and abolishes the novel.

A superior reader, I would think, could overlook just about any subject for the sake of the writing. They could take the book at face value and evaluate it in the simplest of manners; by it's grammatical correctness. Though this is not the highest level of reading, it's certainly an interesting way to interpret Nabokov's "Lolita". "Lolita" is written in such a high style of language that the reader has trouble actually following the physical events of the novel.

Nabokov is playing with more than just the emotions of the reader. He also makes several analogies to other authors and poets, like his character of Annabel that mirrors that of Edgar Allen Poe. Or the fact that this novel has the feel of a Shakespearean drama. Or the way that it turns into a shoot-em-up western or a film noir towards the end.

Taking into account all of these factors one can see that not only did Nabokov write in a very elevated style, but he also played with the events of the story. In this way, the elevated reader can not only enjoy the elevated writing style and the effects that has on the reader, but they can also amuse themselves over the various subplots and puns (the prevalence of the hunter theme, for example).

The main character, Humphrey, has the distinct ability to persuade his reader--and condemner--that his emotions, and therefore his actions off those emotions, were pure and not meant to harm. While this is not the truth, the reader still has trouble distinguishing between the truth and what's written; especially when it's written by an man who professes to duping the other characters. What can the reader believe?

The reader can believe that this novel is a masterwork of the English language. It can twist people's emotions to the author's bidding and therefore skew the true meaning of events; just like regular communication between two individuals can. In a way, this novel is a perfect study of the imperfection of communication and the perfection of language. Both are essential , and yet both corrupt the other.

One cannot condemn this novel based solely on the content. In fact, this novel functions off the severity of the content. If not for such a controversial subject then the author could not show off the power of the English language. Nabokov relies on the reactions of his readers to finish off the reading experience of this novel.