Vladimir Nabokov: Lolita

[Peder]

Steffee,
But in amongst all the fun VN was having with a Dr. Froid, Aqua's mental deterioration nevertheless did sound excruciating, don't you think? IMO anyway, but I am rereading. Only 30 pages in and I am rereading!
Peder

 

[steffee]

Steffee,
But in amongst all the fun VN was having with a Dr. Froid, Aqua's mental deterioration nevertheless did sound excruciating, don't you think? IMO anyway, but I am rereading. Only 30 pages in and I am rereading!
Peder

Me too!! I got upto halfway through Chapter 12, p.62-63 or something, and had to reread to find a insignificant, Hazy (get it? ok, maybe not ) link to Lolita, and so started again from there. I am now, on the reread, somewhere just after page 51. I know that because I've started a Wordpad document with typical Nabokov-as-I-have-seen-so-far scenes/quotes.

And yes, Nabokov is a genius. I think I could skip the textbooks and concentrate on his works to just fly through my Psychology degree!

 

[Peder]

Steffee,
LOL Hazy! You are learning the secret language.
But BTW re Lolita, Texas, that you mentioned earlier. I have now seen the note in the back of Ada and I think 'Vivian Darkbloom' is deliberately pulling our leg there. Because I seem to remember that the town name was changed to Lolita after the book came out, not changed away from it as Darkbloom flat out states. But maybe I'm wrong. I sure can't keep it all straight in my head at once.
Peder

 

[steffee]

Ahh, I see

 

[pontalba]

Pontalba,
Ada is different! Which is what that post was meant to suggest.
But, then again, "different" sounds like what we seem to say about each of the stories/versions we look at. If so, then Ada is very different!
Peder

I know. I just had to put that in. It seems that VN, writes all around the mulberry bush, but stays off the same path somehow. What an amazing genius. And the sense of humor! You guys have me chomping at the bit to read her!

 

[pontalba]

Lolita p.52-53:
This is directly after the 'poem' of names of students including "Haze, Dolores".

The tender anonymity of this name with its formal veil ("Dolores") and that abstract transposition of first name and surname, which is like a pair of new pale gloves or a mask? Is "mask" the keyword? Is it because there is always delight in the semitranslucent mystery, the flowing charshaf, through which the flesh and the eye you alone are elected to know smile in passing at you alone?

Since I had no idea what a charshaf was, I ended up googling it. Evidently it is the veil Turkish women wear. If anyone has a better or more complete meaning puleezzee let me know.

My point with this passage was the ~~mask~~ Just another VNism. Considering he thought of Vera as his mask.

 

[pontalba]

Lolita p.56. Following is more (as though we need it!) proof of Charlotte's unreasoning jealousy of Lolita.

But for almost three weeks I had been interrupted in all my pathetic machinations. The agent of these interruptions was usually the Haze woman (who, as the reader will mark, was more afraid of Lo's deriving some pleasure from me than of my enjoying Lo).

Rather an unnatural maternal reaction, eh?

And did you notice that there was a Miss Phalen mentioned as someone that was to 'do' for Charlotte? I know she was related to the Miss Phalen at Beardsley. The relationship was mentioned, but I cannot recall exactly how and where. In fact the Miss Phalen's mother had been a cook in Mrs. Haze's family.
And I just realized that the dress that is described on p.57, is quite similar, if not identical to one that a certain doll that I was given, yes in the early 50's.....(oh, how, I hated dolls!). It must have been modeled after the Lolita description, or at least quite common at that time.

 

[pontalba]

Lolita p.56. Following is more (as though we need it!) proof of Charlotte's unreasoning jealousy of Lolita.

But for almost three weeks I had been interrupted in all my pathetic machinations. The agent of these interruptions was usually the Haze woman (who, as the reader will mark, was more afraid of Lo's deriving some pleasure from me than of my enjoying Lo).

Rather an unnatural maternal reaction, eh?

And did you notice that there was a Miss Phalen mentioned as someone that was to 'do' for Charlotte? I know she was related to the Miss Phalen at Beardsley. The relationship was mentioned, but I cannot recall exactly how and where. In fact the Miss Phalen's mother had been a cook in Mrs. Haze's family.
And I just realized that the dress that is described on p.57, is quite similar, if not identical to one that a certain doll that I was given, yes in the late 50's.....(oh, how, I hated dolls!). It must have been modeled after the Lolita description, or at least quite common at that time.

 

[Peder]

Lolita p.52-53:
Since I had no idea what a charshaf was, I ended up googling it. Evidently it is the veil Turkish women wear. If anyone has a better or more complete meaning puleezzee let me know.

My point with this passage was the ~~mask~~ Just another VNism. Considering he thought of Vera as his mask.

Pontalba,
What an imagination he had! Looking at just that quote by itself and taking the minute to follow his thought reveals his amazing gift for inspiration and expression -- seeing Dolores as behind [a] Haze, and then going from there to a pair of new pale gloves (no less!), and then to the mask, to the charshaf with its own meaning veiled. Us less literate can only say Wow!
But then that windup!

....through which the flesh and the eye you alone are elected to know smile in passing at you alone.

Is is no wonder that he had the women falling down in front of him if he spoke remotely like that to them in real life.

But OTOH I do remember from Vera the one comment to the young damsel at Cornell that had me falling down out of my chair!

"I like women with big breasts."

Thank you, thank you for highlighting that passage! I missed it completely the first through twelfth times around. It sounds like three lines a day might be the right speed for reading Lolita! And absorbing it!

Peder

 

[Peder]

Lolita p.56. Following is more (as though we need it!) proof of Charlotte's unreasoning jealousy of Lolita.
.....

Rather an unnatural maternal reaction, eh?

It just goes to prove out Boyd's comment elsewhere, "Trust Nabokov." Or words to that effect, meaning that if one looks (hard ), one will find the answer right there, somewhere, in plain black and white.

And I just realized that the dress that is described on p.57, is quite similar, if not identical to one that a certain doll that I was given, yes in the late 50's.....(oh, how, I hated dolls!). It must have been modeled after the Lolita description, or at least quite common at that time.

Can't help you with the Phalen. Re the dress, I didn't know that girls dressed any other way. Not quite true , but it sure wasn't all (or any) jeans once upon a time. And when the rage (any new rage) swept through the school, they all looked the same. At least up here. Even to the point of huge skirts with crinolines, and bouffant hairdo's about that time. Just to go to school! Just practicing, just practicing, I know, for eventually scooping up us men, one at a time. But at least none of 'em carried apples.

Peder

 

[pontalba]

And do ya know what? During this journey thru LolitaLand, we have taken just the route VN wanted and yes, manipulated us into taking. From Brian Boyd's Vladimir Nabokov: The American Years, p.232:

By making it possible to see Humbert's story so much from Humberts point of view, Nabokov warns us to recognize the power of the mind to rationalize away the harm it can cause: the more powerful the mind, the stronger our guard needs to be.

Then it goes on to absolutely tear HH to little tiny pieces, showing just how horrible he really is.

Outside the novel, Nabokov's own judgment of Humbert was blunt: "a vain and cruel wretch who manages to appear 'touching'"

Plus what we finally decided as to the theme of Lolita as being...freedom and aquisition of same, well looks like we were right in the end.
p.237 states

....but he also wanted to show Lolita as an extraordinary young girl who triumphs over her fate in the only way left to her.

And the footnote to this quote is as follows:

of all the thousands of characters in his work, Nabokov once said, Lolita came second in his list of those he admired most as people. top of the list came Pnin, another courageous victim.

So, Peder, you were right all along about your girl, Lo.

 

[Peder]

So, Peder, you were right all along about your girl, Lo.

Nah. Just an ol' softy. But it is very nice to hear that about her. /floating/
But how on Earth did you get so deeply into Boyd so fast? /moves Boyd up in stack/
And I won't mention the hour.
peder

 

[Peder]

And Pontalba,
Those quotes from Boyd are really great!
I was, in fact, rather put off by the size of the book(s) and the density of the type on the page when they came. I thought they were going to sit on my shelf for a long long time to come, untouched, for reference only.
Now I see differently! And I'm glad I do.
Oy, 1400 pages!
But mne tnx,
Peder

PS Parts of Pnin, his favorite character, are almost photographically autobigraphical, judging from what Vera says about the same events. But mine is still little Lo.
P

 

[pontalba]

Well, to tell the truth, I was skimming the Lolita section and there are so, so, very many wonderful quotes that I could never, ever put them all into the forum! I just picked a few. And speaking of the hour, I was in BB this a.m. about 1ish, and by the time I posted, I was bursting to do so. Now I think I will have to get the other volume.......

Honestly Boyd's style is so....flowing, and easy to read. I'll have to go back and start at the beginning, but just couldn't wait!

 

[Peder]

Honestly Boyd's style is so....flowing, and easy to read. I'll have to go back and start at the beginning, but just couldn't wait!

Pontalba,
Truer words were never spoken! It's just wonderful to read graceful flowing English after a steady diet of VN's artful prose, twisting us around corners, slipping things past us invisibly, and faking us out of our very boots.
What an honor to have been regarded by V&V as a friend, as Boyd was, and Appel before him. And I suppose also Stacy Shiff now. What a select fraternity of literary friends.!
Peder

 

[pontalba]

Lolita: A Screenplay

Very first page a Nabokovian Gem!

...I received through Irving Lazar who was representing me a message from Messrs. Harris & Kubrick. They had acquired the film rights of Lolita in 1958, and were now asking me to come over to Hollywood and write the script. The honorarium they offered was considerable, but the idea of tampering with my own novel caused me only revulsion. A certain lull in the activity of the local lepidoptera suggested, however, that we might just as well drive on to the West Coast.

It was at that point that Hollywood suggested that Humbert and Lolita should be secretly married, and VN promptly decamped to Europe!

Oh yes, since the butterflies are scarce, we may as well go to Hollywood and write a screenplay........(serious ROTFALOLTIC!).

 

[Peder]

Very first page a Nabokovian Gem!

It was at that point that Hollywood suggested that Humbert and Lolita should be secretly married, and VN promptly decamped to Europe!

Oh yes, since the butterflies are scarce, we may as well go to Hollywood and write a screenplay........(serious ROTFALOLTIC!).

Pontalba,
Talk about a mismatch of personalities! I wonder what they thought of each other on first meeting. He of them for suggesting a married Lo. They of him for catching butterflies. That could have made a comedy movie in itself, I would imagine. Grouch Marx (Kubrick) versus Charlie Chaplin (Nabokov) sounds about right for casting! For comic shticks anyway, even if not for physical appearance. I just hope he didn't bring his butterfly net with him to a Hollywood studio! LOL but j/k j/k.
Peder

 

[pontalba]

The real miracle is that they ever agreed on anything! I had to put the screenplay down to go back to Vera, but its right there to look over asap!

 

[pontalba]

"Lolita" the Film

For anyone that doesn't have the DVD or tape, and is interested, the James Mason version of Lolita is scheduled to be on Turner Classic Movies on Saturday, February 11th at 2:30 a.m.

Mason's performance is not to be missed.

 

[Peder]

Pontalba,
I'll second that thought! A 'Classic Movie, eh"? Durn straght! They got that right!

However, my own TV is deliberately dark so maybe I might go down to the local bar. Wonder if I could get them to watch Nabokov? Nah, probably not!

So instead I'll (finally) be curling up with that Metamorphoses article that SFG75 posted a link to sometime back. At quick look it's a hundred pages long -- some article! as Lo might say -- and from what I saw, it traces Lolita through book and film versions of her character. But the way I speed-read lately, it could be about a racehorse named Lolita running in the Nymphet Handicap, for all I know
I'll let ya know.
Peder