You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mattaukamp 's review for:
Lolita
by Vladimir Nabokov
Wow. I mean. In so many senses of the word. Wow.
Clearly this is one of the greatest novels ever written. And clearly the subject matter is stomach-turning. Much has been written about both and if you say one without the other, you're either dismissed as a pervert or a plebian. So, I've said both and you cannot denounce me.
What i do want to write about, though, is the last sentence of Part 1. If this sort of thing bothers you, ill tell you this: SPOILERS.
The magic trick of this book is the turn at the very end of Part 1. He's not telling you anything new. He's not revealing some deep mystery or new plot point. He's simply pointing out the obvious.
And yet, with a flick of his wrist, he produces a simple and devastating sentence: "You see, she had no place else to go."
Suddenly, the lush, swaying prose pulls apart to reveal the horror underneath. We are caught with the sweet, acrid juice still on our lips as our hands rush to thrust the forbidden fruit behind our backs. Though we stolidly and stubbornly swore never to cheer on the monstrous Humbert, we still gaped in fascination as he closed in on his goal. We even may have gotten a sudden, excited thrill of forward narrative momentum when little Lo turned the tables and caught him by surprise. But Nabokov, the sly master, captivates us with the barb which pricks Lolita's innocent skin, and then makes us watch as it's poison works its way through her body. "You earned this." He says to us and dares us to put the book down now. To do so would be to further complicit ourselves in the destruction of innocent Dolores. You dont get to fuck her and just walk away, he says to reader and Humbert alike.
This creates the magic of the book. It is not simply a moral tale, nor is it a moral-less tale. It's a statement of truth, lies, beautiful, horrible, uncomfortable, kind, unkind.... it's truly a masterwork and if there's ever any doubt in your head, read until that damned sentence and then give it a think.
Wow.
Clearly this is one of the greatest novels ever written. And clearly the subject matter is stomach-turning. Much has been written about both and if you say one without the other, you're either dismissed as a pervert or a plebian. So, I've said both and you cannot denounce me.
What i do want to write about, though, is the last sentence of Part 1. If this sort of thing bothers you, ill tell you this: SPOILERS.
The magic trick of this book is the turn at the very end of Part 1. He's not telling you anything new. He's not revealing some deep mystery or new plot point. He's simply pointing out the obvious.
And yet, with a flick of his wrist, he produces a simple and devastating sentence: "You see, she had no place else to go."
Suddenly, the lush, swaying prose pulls apart to reveal the horror underneath. We are caught with the sweet, acrid juice still on our lips as our hands rush to thrust the forbidden fruit behind our backs. Though we stolidly and stubbornly swore never to cheer on the monstrous Humbert, we still gaped in fascination as he closed in on his goal. We even may have gotten a sudden, excited thrill of forward narrative momentum when little Lo turned the tables and caught him by surprise. But Nabokov, the sly master, captivates us with the barb which pricks Lolita's innocent skin, and then makes us watch as it's poison works its way through her body. "You earned this." He says to us and dares us to put the book down now. To do so would be to further complicit ourselves in the destruction of innocent Dolores. You dont get to fuck her and just walk away, he says to reader and Humbert alike.
This creates the magic of the book. It is not simply a moral tale, nor is it a moral-less tale. It's a statement of truth, lies, beautiful, horrible, uncomfortable, kind, unkind.... it's truly a masterwork and if there's ever any doubt in your head, read until that damned sentence and then give it a think.
Wow.