Banned Books: Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
The Book: Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov. For those of you who've somehow never heard of Lolita, it's the story, in memoir form, of pedophile Humbert Humbert and his victim Dolores Haze, the eponymous Lolita. There's not much else to say about it; it's really a story of his obsession with her and how it destroys pretty much everyone who touches it. Not, and I want to emphasize this, not a love story.
The Banhammer: "[O]bscene," "unsuitable for minors."
My Reaction: Okay, first of all, I was talking about this book with a friend and she mentioned that some people think of it as a love story. I... really? Are there really people who read Lolita as a love story? Because it isn't. It's a horror novel about a pedophile and his victim told from the point of view of the perpetrator, in such beautiful language that it's a bit difficult to realize at first that he's talking about raping a twelve-year-old.
I do mean that about the language, by the way. Nabokov is a brilliant artist with words, and it's even more impressive when you remember that English was a second language for him. He even makes the Shakespearian gambit of just making up a word when he can't find one. It's gorgeous language, which makes the events of the novel all the more stark in their horror.
Do I Buy Its Banning? Y-es? Ish. Not really. It's also been banned as "promoting pedophilia," to which... I really wish people would actually read the books they're banning. Lolita doesn't promote pedophilia in the least; even if you read it straight, the pedophile ends up in jail and then dead (albeit for murder). If you read it the way Nabokov wrote it, with Humbert as the most unreliable of all unreliable narratives, then you can see how victimized and traumatized Dolores was by his treatment of her, complete with crying herself to sleep every night (!!). Humbert might deny that he hurt her at all (and, at the end of the book, he admits that he has), he might insist that she came on to him, but reading the book, it's obviously only in his own sick head.
As for obscenity and unsuitability for minors, well. I don't think it's obscene. It deals with pedophilia in a pretty frank and open manner, but it isn't written to titillate; quite the opposite. So no, I don't buy obscene. Unsuitable for minors, though, hell yes. Quite apart from the subject matter-- which is horrifying and, since it's told from the pedophile's point of view, probably not super empowering or helpful for victims-- I don't think minors would understand the prose.
Would I Recommend It? Not for anyone who has ever been a victim of sexual assault or emotional manipulation. For people who have escaped those traumas, maybe? Keep in mind that it is a horror story at heart, and you might do better with it, but, I mean, the last line of Part I gave me nightmares for a week. I wish I knew why Nabokov chose to write this book. He did include an afterward but I'm not any closer to understanding, alas.
It's a brilliant piece of literature. I'm just not sure I'd recommend it to anyone.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/349165.html. Please comment over there if possible.
The Banhammer: "[O]bscene," "unsuitable for minors."
My Reaction: Okay, first of all, I was talking about this book with a friend and she mentioned that some people think of it as a love story. I... really? Are there really people who read Lolita as a love story? Because it isn't. It's a horror novel about a pedophile and his victim told from the point of view of the perpetrator, in such beautiful language that it's a bit difficult to realize at first that he's talking about raping a twelve-year-old.
I do mean that about the language, by the way. Nabokov is a brilliant artist with words, and it's even more impressive when you remember that English was a second language for him. He even makes the Shakespearian gambit of just making up a word when he can't find one. It's gorgeous language, which makes the events of the novel all the more stark in their horror.
Do I Buy Its Banning? Y-es? Ish. Not really. It's also been banned as "promoting pedophilia," to which... I really wish people would actually read the books they're banning. Lolita doesn't promote pedophilia in the least; even if you read it straight, the pedophile ends up in jail and then dead (albeit for murder). If you read it the way Nabokov wrote it, with Humbert as the most unreliable of all unreliable narratives, then you can see how victimized and traumatized Dolores was by his treatment of her, complete with crying herself to sleep every night (!!). Humbert might deny that he hurt her at all (and, at the end of the book, he admits that he has), he might insist that she came on to him, but reading the book, it's obviously only in his own sick head.
As for obscenity and unsuitability for minors, well. I don't think it's obscene. It deals with pedophilia in a pretty frank and open manner, but it isn't written to titillate; quite the opposite. So no, I don't buy obscene. Unsuitable for minors, though, hell yes. Quite apart from the subject matter-- which is horrifying and, since it's told from the pedophile's point of view, probably not super empowering or helpful for victims-- I don't think minors would understand the prose.
Would I Recommend It? Not for anyone who has ever been a victim of sexual assault or emotional manipulation. For people who have escaped those traumas, maybe? Keep in mind that it is a horror story at heart, and you might do better with it, but, I mean, the last line of Part I gave me nightmares for a week. I wish I knew why Nabokov chose to write this book. He did include an afterward but I'm not any closer to understanding, alas.
It's a brilliant piece of literature. I'm just not sure I'd recommend it to anyone.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/349165.html. Please comment over there if possible.