Remember when I wrote about some of the books I wanted to read once I finished school in This Post? Well, I finished Bobcat on my flight back from Thanksgiving. But that is not the one to talk about today. No, no. Today, I must tell you about Lolita. I finished it about two weeks ago and I am just now getting around to writing about it, but believe me -I have plenty to say.
It is no secret that Nabokov's story is one of banned scandal. I mean, with an opening line like, "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins" what else could you expect? For those of you who are unaware of the connotation the name Lolita now brings to life, I'll divulge your curiosity for you. The novel is told from the fictional first person perspective of Humbert Humbert. And no, I did not accidentally type the man's name twice. He refers to himself -his lustful, pedophiliac, and obsessive self- as Humbert Humbert. The narrative is written as a diary/confession of his love for Lolita while he is in jail. Don't worry, that isn't a spoiler. We know from the get-go that our voice for the novel is in jail, and we quickly assume that it is because he has a problem.
Humbert Humbert is one of the sick creatures who is driven sexually by the mere sight of little girls -or, nymphets, as he endearingly calls them. But here is the difficult thing with this novel: with the "villain" as the narrator, it is hard to hate him. I admit I was a bit uncomfortable reading the first few chapters. He gets carried away sometimes and goes off on these tangents about the shapes and looks of the little girls he finds most alluring. It's creepy, to say the least. But, as so often happens with a first-person narrative, I began to sympathize with our Humbert Humbert. I know I probably sound crazy now, but it's hard to hate someone when you are tuned into their thoughts and feelings and intentions.
I never once thought that he is anything close to a loveable or even upstanding member of society, but seeing circumstance through his eyes....man....I came to dislike his little nymphet, Lolita, more than I did Humbert. She was a tease. She knew that he was attracted to her. She seduced him and used him and drove him absolutely insane. He truly loved her til the end. Now, I refuse to give away what happens in the novel because that is just no fun. But I will say, one of the things that made it easier to read than not was the language. Vladimir Nabokov is one of the most beautifully eloquent writers that I have had to pleasure to read. Truly. I mean, words such as:
"Despite our tiffs, despite her nastiness, despite all the fuss and faces she made, and the vulgarity, and the danger, and the horrible hopelessness of it all, I still dwelled deep in my elected paradise - a paradise whose skies were the color of hell-flames - but still a paradise."
Beautiful, is it not? I admit that it was one of the most scandalous reads of my life. But, it was also one of the most captivating.
Sincerely,
Me
P.S. If you want to buy a copy of Lolita, I suggest you get the Everyman's Library hardback edition. It doesn't have a picture of a girl or lips or something else incriminating on the cover like most other editions do. I waited a long time to find this edition because I was too embarrassed to buy anything else and carry it around in the store or have it on my bookshelves. Sounds ridiculous, but next time you go to Barnes & Noble, you'll see what I mean.
