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Kelly's Reviews > Lolita
Lolita
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I was in equal parts disturbed by, enthralled by, and in love with this book. Love and passion triumph over everything else. And I don't mean this in the cutesy, Hallmark sort of way either. That is the message of this book. No matter how wrong, now evil, how disgusting, how perverted, love wins. Or what people call "love" in any case (obsession is probably a better word). But it's not insignificant that that's what the delusion is called. If you can believe it, that is the message of this book. It is beautiful at certain points. You'll be reading along, and out pops this gorgeous phrase, and stops you dead in your tracks. Despite feeling like I should stop in disgust a few times, I ended the book believing in whatever the thing being presented here is, whether we want to call it "love" or many other much more disapproving things, and in the strength of emotions of that genre. You wouldn't think that, would you?
Everyone needs to read this. Nabokov is a genius. I can't wait to read more of his work.
Everyone needs to read this. Nabokov is a genius. I can't wait to read more of his work.
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Reading Progress
May 23, 2007
– Shelved
Started Reading
June 1, 2007
–
Finished Reading
June 26, 2007
– Shelved as:
fiction
September 11, 2009
– Shelved as:
owned
March 2, 2010
– Shelved as:
20th-century-postwar-to-late
October 21, 2011
– Shelved as:
grand-opera
Comments Showing 1-20 of 20 (20 new)
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message 1:
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Matt
(last edited Aug 25, 2016 11:20AM)
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rated it 4 stars
Jun 20, 2007 04:11PM
I am curious, what is your impression of Humbert? I am right in the middle of this one too and I find myself on his side and worried he is going to get caught. Then I remember what a messed up sicko he is. I am starting to question my own sicko level.
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To be honest, I've really just started it. I'm only about fifty pages in. So I think I'm still firmly grounded in "how much of a sicko" he is. But the way he thinks and expresses himself and the writing about him is so beautiful and fascinating... it's like I just want to (and sometimes can't help myself from) accept his way of seeing things as normal and go on appreciating how (perversely) beautiful he is on so many other levels. I think that just speaks to the incredible writing skills of Nabokov that you end up with a different value system in judging him, at least temporarily. I think this probably makes me more of a sicko than you. :)
I find it hilarious that you basically have the same opinion of Lolita as Soltan-a-rama. Believe me, I know her opinion, because I heard it 204896558 million times.Oh man, I kind of miss her class..
Okay. Soltan-o-rama's not wrong about everything. She just says it 2343243242 way too many times. I've never heard her opinion of Lolita, but I'd believe that it's close to mine. The book, strangely enough, appealed to my cheesy side on some level, as well as the intellectual side. I'll take agreeing with Soltan over not loving this book!PS- You should take the Irish Lit class next semester. :)
How can it still be love if it is evil, disgusting and perverted? It sounds more like pedophilia, which is really evil, disgusting and perverted. Does love hurt people so much? Real love?
I don't know what you mean by "real love." But I would just ask you this to start with: are you trying to claim that love doesn't have a dark side? In birth, motivation, and/or practice? Because I think not only the majority of literature but the majority of people who have been in love would disagree with that. I may not be an expert on it, but I think I can safely state that much to start with.
I do agree that love has a dark side. It's not all roses and valentine's day cards and hugging and kissing. But isn't there a point, somewhere on the spectrum, when that feeling that was once love, or once mistaken as love, or at least once called love, gets so dark and so destructive and so evil and hurts the person it is directed at so much, that it is no longer love? That it has become something else? If you still call it love, in spite of the harm it causes to the object of one's desire, does that mean love can kill? Love can rape? Love can degrade and damage and abuse? I know people do those things in the name of love, just as people kill in the name of God, but is it really God? Is it really love? I say it is no longer love. And I do think that the feelings and actions of Humbert towards Delores are past that point on the spectrum, and those feelings are not love. They are passionate, obsessive, posessive--many things. But not love.
Leslie wrote: "... those feelings are not love. They are passionate, obsessive, posessive--many things. But not love."If you're right, the line where Love ends and Crazy Obsession begins is very hard to see; and most of us lose sight of it. Which may be Nabokov's point.
But I don't think you're right :)
I am trying to write something about Pnin, which I just read, and maybe your point about love winning, or at least hope winning, is perhaps the best summary of it I can came up with.
Is that a common Nabokov theme? I've only read Lolita- have had Pale Fire/Pnin on list foreeever though. Did you like Pnin?
I dunno, I think not. I think the one true Nabokov theme is do not believe what the characters say - or at least do not take them at face value. I recommend very highly both Pale Fire and Pnin. Pnin is so short, a sort of satyrical take on american college life and russian emigr茅 community, but I found it surprisingly moving different towards the end. It would be spoilerish to describe it too much. But do try it.
Pale Fire is indescribable, maybe the most exhilarating reading experience of my adult life. But it麓s probably not really a novel. Maybe it麓s more a puzzle of exercise on understanding subtext. But for me it was exhilarating reading! (and I am absolutely not a literary-humanities type, so its appeal is not just for those)
Pale Fire is indescribable, maybe the most exhilarating reading experience of my adult life.When one awesome person says this and I don't read it, I can perhaps dismiss my doubting instincts, but now we're approaching MANY awesome persons saying this. When I have free time, definitely doing that. Pnin sounds maybe a little too niche for me.
message 13:
by
Hirondelle (not getting notifications)
(last edited Feb 08, 2011 09:38AM)
(new)
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rated it 5 stars
Approach Pale Fire when not too tired or without time. When feeling curious and interested. Because it is not about what you are told, but about what you think of what you are told. (and saying that about a novel makes it seem pretentious or unlikable, but it麓s not!)About Pnin, it is much closer to Lolita than Pale Fire, and I do think it is worth reading, specially the ending. But if you will try just one, Pale Fire should be the one.
It will be- if only so I can go back to my friend who extolled its virtues to me like five years ago and expressed his disapproval that I didn't then go read it and say that I finally got to it! :)Not... that.. I remember stuff like that...
I have done worse than your friend, namely giving a copy to a friend I thought the person most likely to really love it, and then asking if he had read it. I have been resisting the urge to buy more copies as presents for yet more innocent victims!
Really great point, no matter how wrong or evil, love wins. I like that, it's a bit more tender than I had received it. Great book.
Thanks, though I think I should probably re-read this. This opinion is reflective of college-aged me, and I'm not sure if I would have such a naive opinion of it now. I've left the review because that was how I felt then, and I want to see how it's different next time, but I am not sure if I agree with it now.
Kelly wrote: "Thanks, though I think I should probably re-read this. This opinion is reflective of college-aged me, and I'm not sure if I would have such a naive opinion of it now. I've left the review because t..."It's fun though to look back on old reviews to see how you've grown as a reader, so keeping it up is a good choice! I had a different take on the novel as well when I first read it years ago (this was a re-read for me as an excuse to review it ha). I think I should read it again eventually, it seems the sort of book that you pick out more details with each read.
Absolutely- and that's the definition of a classic, to me.
Invitation to a Beheading is also terrific - I think it鈥檚 the one that comes closest to being described as Kafkaesque.
