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Vladimir Nabokov: Lolita

pontalba said:
It has to be the car HH is referring to on p.307--this is after he has killed Quilty, and the "police chase" if you can call it a chase... Now the car has to be his reference, as earlier on, Nabokov uses the same structure in referring to Jean, Charlotte's friend p.104-105
Jean was already dead heself at this point, having died of cancer at 33.

Now the structure I am referring to is the way Nabokov places a direct address to the person/object in parenthesis that is mentioned in just the previous sentence.
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Pontalba,
You are just so perceptive! But you convince me about the analogous narrative structures in the two places. Good catch! In fact, amazing catch!!

And that little goody you found on Amazon is absolutely fearsome! Egad, what company to put Humbert in!

It also sets the wheels turning again in my tiny brain about the one-story theory of literature. Again I have trouble seeing the one story here, but I certainly can see one stream (out of many in literture) which here involves a figure wandering the Earth either to cause harm (the Devil, or Death with his scythe) or as a punishment for evil done (Humbert, and the medieval myth of the Wandering Jew), and Melmoth in one category or the other. The notion of 'wandering' seems to have strong subliminal appeal to the human psyche as a theme for presenting a story.

Further, in a different direction, while VN listed the Humbert/Lolita story among the three topics that could not be written in America (at that time), in retrospect we can realize that he did not claim it was a theme unique to Lolita. Ah, the things that are said, and the things that are left unsaid!

And BTW, I wonder where the theme is of a person or figure who eternally wanders the Earth to cause good. Or is good just never as attractive as evil? Or do we assume it is always there? HAH!

Further BTW I bet that when VN saw also that Melmoth had 'moth' within the name, then that really clinched it for him as name to use in the story, real moth or no.

Whirr, whirr, whirr, /wheels turning/ :confused:
peder
 
Peder You are so right, I didn't even think of the "one-story" bit! But in the end, thats what it all comes down to really. The one story we here on Earth deal with every day in one form or another. Good vs. evil. Who will triumph this time? You know while reading the book, and watching the films, its easy to sympathize with Humbert, suave James Mason or Jeremy Irons at least...:rolleyes: ;) But when one manages to get back a certain distance and rereread the insidiousness of Humbert's actions become clearer. Now to take it in slightly different direction, it addresses the faces of evil. Here is Humbert, attractive, he calls himself a hunk of manhood, or some such egotistical nonsense, and otoh, calls himself twisted and evil {way paraphrasing here!}, so he tells the truth with a big boyish smile. Charming Man.

Timofey Pnin otoh, is maybe not so attractive, not superficially charming (althought I think he is adorable), the English is stilted and often incorrect, and people do not in general warm to him. And he is good to the core. Not perfect by a long shot, but Good.

Go Figure!!!!!
 
Peder said:
And BTW, I wonder where the theme is of a person or figure who eternally wanders the Earth to cause good. Or is good just never as attractive as evil? Or do we assume it is always there? HAH!
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Within the pages of a Fantasy novel maybe;)
 
Ah, but those that take the TIME to get to know Pnin warm up to him very nicely indeed. And I think he is absolutely adorable too:D
 
Breaca said:
Ah, but those that take the TIME to get to know Pnin warm up to him very nicely indeed. And I think he is absolutely adorable too:D
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Thats very true, but look how when Prof. Hagen was going to all the department heads, and they were to a man against Pnin. Blind and mean people that they were!
 
pontalba said:
This article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melmoth_the_Wanderer says that Appel's annotated version explains the reference. It does not. At least it doesn't in the notes. If it is mentioned in the introduction, I haven't seen it yet.

Yet more confusion. :confused:

I found the mention in Appel's intro...p.lviii in the footnote. But it doesn't address the wandering bit as far as I can tell. It mostly speaks of "direct address" being an important part of the narrative.
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Pontalba,
Great Scott! First Amazon, now wikipedia and half the world's writers! And we never had a glimmer. Oy!
No disrespect intended, but Nabokov sure beat us on that one! :eek:
Peder
 
Peder said:
Pontalba,
Great Scott! First Amazon, now wikipedia and half the world's writers! And we never had a glimmer. Oy!
No disrespect intended, but Nabokov sure beat us on that one! :eek:
Peder
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Until you noticed a book title! And remembered a teeny tiny detail.....

Bravo Peder!...:cool: ...:D
 
Morning Peder and Pontalba and all. Haven't joined in any discussions for a few days so just wanted to say hello, really :D :D

Glad to see our Lolita still going strong! :D

Edit: And Breaca too, didn't see your green light up there lol
 
steffee said:
Morning Peder and Pontalba and all. Haven't joined in any discussions for a few days so just wanted to say hello, really :D :D

Glad to see our Lolita still going strong! :D

Edit: And Breaca too, didn't see your green light up there lol
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Hey there Steffee!
Glad to see you are feeling better at last.

Yes Our Lo has a life all her own! :)
 
Breaca said:
Within the pages of a Fantasy novel maybe;)
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Breaca,
Well that's a thought! Maybe so, possibly among upliftng stories for children? Or maybe that's what knights in shining armor did, protecting damsels in distress?

Or maybe (here's one far out!) just possibly in Pale Fire, with a very deep interpretation provided by Boyd in his companion book. But oh yess! The light bulb just went on!
It's Pippa! (Almost exactly)
And now you have to take it from there. /evil grin/.
Pontalba will probably find it in wikipedia, or some other obvious place hidden to all the rest of us. :D
Peder
 
In other words, Peder in a round about way, is that Nabokov is in fact a balanced writer. ;) He balances everything else, why not from novel to novel?

I have to get my tea, this is too much for me to inculcate without some help. :eek: :D :p

btw, I am also busy clearing the desk/counter in anticipation of Book Shelves being delivered Today...!!!!! :D :D :D :D :cool: :cool: :D
 
Hi Steffee,
Come join the free-asociation seance we are having here.
Pick a word! I bet we can find it in Lolita. :D
Just waking up? :rolleyes: j/k j/k
peder
 
lol Peder. I decided that since it's always morning over there, I might as well join in. ;)

Ooh Pontalba, more new shelves?! Yikes lol ;)


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pontalba said:
In other words, Peder in a round about way, is that Nabokov is in fact a balanced writer. ;) He balances everything else, why not from novel to novel?
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Pontalba,
Why can't I ever think of things like that?
And I have already had my coffee!
Nabokov does seem to try everything, deliberately refusing to get into a rut it would seem. (Or maybe he actually said that, when he said -- inscrutably -- that there is no such thing as the novel, in general.)
We'll never get ahead of him! :D
Just read and enjoy,
Peder
 
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