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Vladimir Nabokov: Lolita
- Thread starter Love4OneAnother
- Start date
Kenny Shovel
Active Member
I've got too big a TBR pile as it is (about 50) so I'll be too late for this one. However if Master & Margarita wins the February vote, count me in...Peder said:
Peder
Well-Known Member
Pontalba, allpontalba said:Now will the prosceuting and defense attorneys please proceed!
I'm guessing she's putting her makeup on.
Meanwhile, in the lull, I happened across a wonderful scene, where Nabokov pulls Humbert's and our legs just a little harder.
Humbert has lost Lo and has been retracing his steps looking for clues, all the way back to Beardsley, where he is now lying in wait to find her and confront Quilty, or worse.
Does that, or does that not sound like Quilty to you all? Baldish head? How is your daughter? We met?
And then, "He was a total stranger to me" [!]
I am sure I missed that the first time(s) around. Just 9 lines among so many. But finally I'm getting just a tad suspicious But the kicker is that it is not even on Appel's master list of Quilty appearances and there is no Q in my margin.! Can Nabokov have also slipped something by eagle-eyed Appel in his otherwise compendious notes? It seems to me that he must have, but then maybe I am going crazy, like Humbert does from time to time. Has anyone seen Elvis in this book? (lately?
)--
Actually, here in the real world, that sounds to me like a glimpse of Nabokov himself. Vera describes Nabokov's teaching on Cornell campus, and it turns out he was very popular with his female students. And occasionally very very popular with one or two of them. But y'all have to read the book sometime. I can't possibly spoil the enjoyment you will have as your eyes widen and your draw slowly drops. Suffice it so say he was very attractive to the ladies. And very appreciative, too.
--
Warms the heart,
Peder
Peder
Well-Known Member
Ah pontalba,pontalba said:
Dense me!
I never even thought of N putting himself into his books. But I sure should have, because the lecturing style of Proessor Pnin in that book, Pnin, is a dead ringer for Nabokov's own style described in Vera. Which I noticed, but without it clicking if you get what I mean. I saw the picture but the flash bulb didn't go off.
Where is that smilie for 'dumb'? Thank you for explaining,
Peder
Peder
Well-Known Member
pontalbapontalba said:Peder
As Lolita is the only one of Nabokov's novels I've read, is it possible that he does a tiny 'walk-on' in every book? I do have the Sebastion Knight book, but.............its in the stack.
Hmm. A good answer now followed by a good question!
It certainly sounds like a thing one might expect, now. But I'll have to think hard about Pale Fire before answering. No examples leaped out when I read it, but there are scenes involving groups of faculty so it might well be possible, although I'll have to go back and stare at the book to decide.
It certainly is true that there were many little things in Pnin that were reminiscent of Nabokov himself, so maybe he was in the mood to do it more for that book than for others. Or maybe it might even be "frankly autobiographical" as they say, but I don't know about that either, because the correspndence is not that close. Pnin doesn't have a wife for example; actually he does, but separated and completely different from the faithul model of Vera. So that's a major difference.
It will be interesting to see what knowledgeable critics and students of his works say about it. Maybe in the Cambridge Guide to Nabokov's Literary Works, or some such title, that I see on the shelf at my Borders. I'll have to go have a cup of coffee and browse, /evil grin/
Peder
Peder
Well-Known Member
P.S.
Went looking on amazon. (The weather outside is yukky. Frightful?)
I see that the book I was thinking of is actually called, simply, "The Cambridge Companion to Nabokov."
And I also came across a listing for "Strong Opinions," a book which contains Nabokov's interviews, articles and editorials giving his thoughts on "everything from the Russian Revolution to the correct pronunciation of Lolita." I think they also used the words "trenchant" and "witty." One can only imagine! If his thoughts about psychiatry are any indication.
Looked for one, found two. That's I think, maybe
Hope your'alls weather is much better than mine this morning,
Peder
Went looking on amazon. (The weather outside is yukky. Frightful?)
I see that the book I was thinking of is actually called, simply, "The Cambridge Companion to Nabokov."
And I also came across a listing for "Strong Opinions," a book which contains Nabokov's interviews, articles and editorials giving his thoughts on "everything from the Russian Revolution to the correct pronunciation of Lolita." I think they also used the words "trenchant" and "witty." One can only imagine! If his thoughts about psychiatry are any indication.
Looked for one, found two. That's
I think, maybe Hope your'alls weather is much better than mine this morning,
Peder
StillILearn
New Member
Made me laugh, pontalba! And I was just getting all ready to flirt furiously with Peder, but I guess maybe I'll try to stay on topic instead.
(I was going to ask you if you liked my frock, Peder, or some such nonsense.)
I'm very happy to be getting all these recommendations for my Lolaputian education. I cringe to think that I may have gone through life thinking that the Kubric movie was the very last word on the subject.
Peder
Well-Known Member
Oh no, no, no! Steffee,steffee said:
That's no relief at all! We would die to answer any question you might have -- I'm sure there will be one or two
-- if we could. You must surely have noticed that we are having a difficult time answering our own questions, but we'll gladly give yours a try also. And it will be wonderful to hear the thoughts of a first time reader.Tell us for example what you thought of the famous couch scene. The scene itself. Or what you thought of Humbert? Or of Charlotte? Or definitely of Little Lo?
And if you say "what couch scene"? we will help you with that also. Unless you haven't gotten that far. Then we'll only tell you that there is an amazing scene coming up!
Or tell us what you thought of N's discussion of the decor of Charlotte's house (before he saw Lo, of course). We haven't yet touched on that too directly here, yet.
So yes, yes, yes, Steffee, you are part of this discussion!
And you are a good omen too; the sun just came out here, yay!
Peder
StillILearn
New Member
Yes, steffee, post away! Lolita is like a jigsaw puzzle, and we can use all the help we can get with those slippery pieces. (I think we may have the corners in place by now. Maybe.)
Peder
Well-Known Member
StillILearn,StillILearn said:I cringe to think that I may have gone through life thinking that the Kubric movie was the very last word on the subject.
It was the very last word on the subject, some of us do think! /speaking in a very slow judicious manner/
Actually, it may be heresy to say, but, the movies each gave me scenes that stand out more vividly in my memory than the words of the book were able to make them do. And I have now seen the nuances in the wording that the directors and the actors caught perfectly, to make superb scenes out of the words.
And BTW was that a 40's or a 50's frock?
I liked the color.Peder
pontalba
Well-Known Member
Steffee Yes! post away, first impressions and all that!
StillILearn That was Peder making that make-up crack, not I said the little red hen!
Peder Don't even mention Amazon to me! I am so outdone with them I could spit nails! The only delivery they manage to mess up is the Annotated Lolita!!! Arrrrrggggghhhhh!
StillILearn That was Peder making that make-up crack, not I said the little red hen!
Peder Don't even mention Amazon to me! I am so outdone with them I could spit nails! The only delivery they manage to mess up is the Annotated Lolita!!! Arrrrrggggghhhhh!
Peder
Well-Known Member
Pontalbapontalba said:Peder Don't even mention Amazon to me! I am so outdone with them I could spit nails! The only delivery they manage to mess up is the Annotated Lolita!!! Arrrrrggggghhhhh!
The stock clerk probably started reading it as he was putting it into the box. I hope he is not too slow a reader.
And now I am going to go find the movie-related nuance that just leaped out at me the other day for the first time.
Be back in a min,
Peder