Lolita Analysis

Margaret Atwood begins her essay by explaining the distinction between mild pornorgraphy, which portrays the nude form and sexual activities, and violent pornography, which depicts extremely violent activities in a sexual manner. When discussing pornography, people often assume Atwood is referring to mild pornography; however, even though this pornography is considered “mild” by Atwood, the reactions and perspectives from people are rarely mild. The passionate accusations declaring opposing sides “prudish” or “perverted” lead to the question of what is the meaning of pornography, if there is any? Whether it

Not only does this help him distract the reader, it allows Humbert to have the mental assurance he needs to proceed with his advances towards Lolita. The pedophile addresses his true criminal thoughts, but almost always retreats back to justifying his illegal attraction. He analyzes her submission to him as genuine attraction. In one instance, Humbert boasts about having, “all the characteristics which, according to writers on the sex interests of children, start the responses stirring in a little girl: clean-cut jaw, muscular hand, deep, sonorous voice, broad shoulders” (Nabokov 43), after eyeing Lolita on the “piazza”. By pointing out his so-called “attractive” qualities, he attempts to give reasons and argue that his affair with Lolita is moral by nature.For Humbert Humbert, craving Lolita is perfectly acceptable if she reciprocates his advances. He draws out and exemplifies his good qualities in hopes to overshadow his true criminal thoughts, however, by doing so, displays his criminal thinking of

After looking past its controversial sexual nature, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita can be read as a criticism of the capitalist system. Nabokov uses the relationship between the novel's narrator, Humbert Humbert, and the novel's namesake, Lolita, as an extended metaphor to showcase the system's inherent exploitive nature in a way that shocks the reader out of their false consciousness, by making the former a man in the position of power - a repulsive, manipulative pedophile — and the latter a young female victim — as well as a spoiled, vapid, unruly child. Each is to the other nothing more than a commodity — Lolita being the perfect consumer and Humbert Humbert being a man of privilege who views others

This results in the narrative perspective of the novel demonstrating how Humbert attempts to conceal his true nature through, in his own mind, clever ‘adjustments’ to how the story is presented and references to historical figures who shared the same desires as him- ‘Oh Lolita, you are my girl, as Vee was Poe’s and Bea Dante’s’ (Nabokov 1955), yet often reverts to a disposition in which he laments about his monstrous desires. Not only this, but the comparison to famous literary greats suggests that Humbert considers himself to be of their status and thus possesses an idolized version of himself, a self which can easily transform language into ploys to conceal his true nature.

Lisa Sigel’s, urge towards more historiography within the realm of pornography appears to be a vital response to the contestations concerning a comprehensive understanding of such a chaotic topic. To begin with, Sigel explores the discord revolving periodisation and delineation. She particularly looks at debates around the period the genre was formed as well as the challenges to formulate a single universal definition of pornography (pp. 223-224). Subsequently, her article veers towards research that has been conducted by other disciplines in the field, but it does so in correlation to what work historians should initiate in clearing the gaps that are left behind. Here, Sigel talks of the issues power and censorship has imbued on the research of pornography but she, moreover, examines how this could be corrected. She exemplifies the analyses of literary and art scholars, including Bradford Mudge, Sarah Leonard and Alyce Mahon, as a way forward for historians (pp. 227-231). Sigel goes on to argue that the result of historian work would help align pornography to specific socio-political contexts. She goes on to explore some of these contexts and insists that by continuing this contextualisation process a better understanding of pornography will be obtained (pp.231-233).

Furthermore, as Lolita can be considered an open text and this paper is concerned with bringing female perspectives to the forefront of the novel, it is reasonable to apply traditional feminist theory to the text to examine Humbert’s marginalisation of women. In particular, this reading will be formulated through applying the work of second-wave feminist Kate Millett, which focuses on exposing the reprehensibility of patriarchal oppression. To begin, Nabokov consistently constructs Humbert to display misogynistic views. To illustrate this, in the scene where Humbert recalls his sexual excitement when Dolores laid across his lap, he fantasizes about being ‘a radiant and robust Turk…enjoying the youngest and frailest of his slaves.’ Due to the reader’s knowledge of Humbert’s affinity for ‘nymphets,’ whom he defines as girls between the age of nine and fourteen, it can be deduced that these ‘slaves’ are female. The word ‘frail’ holds connotations of debility, fragility and vulnerability. Through these negative associations, Nabokov has positioned readers to understand that Humbert views women as inferior to men. This holds relevance to Millett’s theory of female inferiority, through which she explains that ‘the female’s inferior status’ is ‘ascribed to her physical weakness or intellectual inferiority.’ Millett published her work in 1969 during the second wave feminist movement, whereby women demanded equality and challenged patriarchal ideologies regarding sexuality,

Opinions on personal and social matters are evergrowing and can be found in all forms of media. Themes of sex and their regulation from all forms of figures and institutions influence the public's’ perceptions of normality. The controversies of society that result in a heightened reaction from the public is a moral panic. Reactions that result in these mass panics can be initiated by simple facts about a certain taboo, and as generations change, so do the norms of that society, creating a flux of opinions that can generate violent reactions. Judith Levine, the controversial author of “Harmful to Minors” believed there was an argument against the public addressing the sexual habits of minors as corrupt. One of many moral

The point of view of Lolita is not unusual, what causes the emotional response is in fact who the narrator is. Humbert Humbert, the narrator, is a murdering pedophile, this perspective can initially be disturbing and even stopped a lot of potential readers from actually reading the book. In the article “Romantic parody and the ironic muse in 'Lolita.'” Brian Walter addresses how the author manipulated readers views on an admittedly criminal character. Walter claims that “If the romantic parody criticizes Humbert, it flatters him as well, to the point that, in Trilling's terms, "we find ourselves the more shocked when we realize that, in the course of reading the novel, we have come virtually to condone the violation it presents" (331).” Walter uses a quote from Trilling’s "The Last Lover." to defend his claim that readers do end up feeling a sense of sympathy towards a character that forms a

There are several points where I disagree with Mr. Prescott about Lolita, but that was expected since this review was written in 1958. One point that Mr. Prescott makes is that the novel is disgusting and that, “to describe such a perversion with the pervert's enthusiasm without being disgusting is impossible.” He also states that Mr. Nabokov failed at doing so in Lolita, but I disagree. I actually believe that Nabokov succeeds in confusing the reader and makes the narrative of a pervert not as disturbing as most would think it to be. All of the french words and phrases used as well as the numerous uses of figurative language in the text distract the user from the disgust they feel about his perversion. One place where this occurs is in a small

In the book “Reading Lolita in Tehran”, the author portraits a story of oppression towards Iranian woman and the kind of life they go through. As known, some Iranian men are commonly known for their sexism and oppression towards the woman population in Iran. The story takes place during and after the revolution in Iran. During this period the Iranian State was transitioning into an extremist Islamic regimen.

Eric Goldman argues that while Humbert attempt to make Lolita into a sexual deviant that corrupted him, Nabokov instead, suggest that she is a normal female that is experimenting with her sexuality. He starts with explaining Humbert attempting to make Lolita in a sexual deviant, then he states that after its publication “many of the critics Humbert Humbert’s misogynistic interpretation of Lolita” (Goldman 87). Goldman believe that Lolita “sexual development is warped by a maniacal, myth-making pedophile” (88). Humbert makes Lolita into a deviant to justify his behavior towards her.

Nabokov uses a letter to Humbert from Lolita to insure that although she says mean things about him and repeatedly insults hum she does in fact feel a strong attraction to Humbert. Nabokov’s purpose in this excerpt is to convey how Loloita hides her love for Humbert by telling him to leave. To achieve this hidden meaning Nabokov uses Lolita’s dialogue and sarcasm. Although Lolita knows she is in love with Humbert she thinks if she points out their differences in opinion she may lose her feelings toward Humbert. Nabokov uses Lolita’s tone towards Humbert to prove she does love him even while she is saying things about him that she doesn’t love. Nabokov ultimately uses Lolita’s dialogue to show hidden meaning in Lolita’s letter.

In a similar fashion to Williams' and Shakespeare, a hamartia is established (Humbert's nymphet obsession) that the audience conclusively gathers, leads to his destruction. Clearly, Humbert as the perpetrator of deception should receive no sympathy from the audience. However, even we are victims of his deception. For example, the foreword begins with 'Lolita, or the Confession of a White Widowed Male,' and immediately, a semi-sarcastic tone is employed to allude to the subversive nature of the novel and the binary opposition underlining the novel's progression. In this way, Humbert's deception is made to be more satirical, rather than tragic.

Firstly, Humbert’s views of Lolita, as shown in the quotation, reveal how self-serving and manipulative he is in regards to his relationship with “nymphets”. His writing’s tone and diction imply that he is a good person, or a least better than others attracted to young people. The phrase “so-called ‘sex’” carries a tone of condensation. He implies that most hebephiles pursue young girls for the sake of sleeping with them,

Vladimir Nabokov, one of the 20th century’s greatest writers, is a highly aesthetic writer. Most of his work shows an amazing interest in and talent for language. He deceptively uses language in Lolita to mask and make the forbidden divine. Contextually, Lolita may be viewed as a novel about explicit sexual desire. However, it is the illicit desire of a stepfather for his 12-year old stepdaughter. The novel’s subject inevitably conjures up expectations of pornography, but there in not a single obscene term in Lolita. Nabokov portrays erotic scenes and sensual images with a poetic sensibility that belies the underlying meaning of the words. The beautiful manipulation of language coerces one to understand Humbert’s interdict act of