...English 10 16 November 2015 Word Count: [ 1437 ] Lolita The protagonist is a fifty-four year old man named Humbert Humbert, who is telling the story of his younger self at age thirty-seven and his fixation on girls much younger than himself. I found the story to have two antagonists. The first antagonist is actually Dolores Haze, “Lolita”. Humbert has a goal to maintain power over Lolita and who would want the control over her mind and body more than herself; making her Humbert’s antagonist as she is getting in the way of his one focus. I think the other antagonist is actually Humbert’s mind, which leads him to having an unhealthy fascination with the twelve-year-old, “nymphet,” Lolita. “Between the age limits of nine and fourteen there occur maidens who, to certain bewitched travelers, twice or many times older than they, reveal their true nature which is not human, but nymphic (that is demoniac); and these chosen creatures I propose to designate as ‘nymphets’.” Humbert is always thinking about this obsession in his head. In the story Clare Quilty is a foil for Humbert. Humbert likes to think that above Quilty or that Quilty is a worse person than he is, but they actually have more in common than he would like them to. Quilty shares Humbert’s love of words and desire for Lolita. Quilty is a playwright and despite the deep resentment Humbert has for him, Quilty is the only one whose intelligence he even remotely respects. In addition to being a playwright Quilty is...
Words: 1457 - Pages: 6
...The Confession of a White Widowed Male; it’s the book that inspired an entire subculture of fashion and sexual fetishism. Better known as Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, the novel is an example of how society condemns the victims of abuse and excuses the abusers based on their reputations and how they are perceived in the society. The novel makes a statement about the way people use how they are perceived in society conceal their true nature. In likelihood, CNN reports on how two rapists of Steubenville High School, with “promising futures” had their lives destroyed as they were convicted of rape. The reporters glaze over the victim, preferring instead to discuss how tragic the crime was for the rapists. Both Nabokov and the video prove the way...
Words: 703 - Pages: 3
...Seminar in Academic Inquiry: Banned Books LST 100-05 Nicolette Ford Fall, 2012 “I attest that I have not consulted my notes nor used any electronic resources except for my word processor in the completion of this exam.” 1. Select one of the texts that we have discussed in class, and identify one or two elements of it that would cause it to be challenged in schools and libraries. Then, argue whether those elements justify banning. In the book Fahrenheit 451, there are many elements that would be considered inappropriate for schools and libraries. Some of these elements include violent behavior. For example, when the firemen burn the woman and her books, while the woman is still alive. Many people think this is gruesome and unnecessary. In my opinion, it makes the book that much stronger. The element of violence in this book does not justify banning. I believe the book holds such a strong meaning and banning it for something that only makes it stronger is ridiculous. 2. Select one of the texts that we have discussed in class, and identify one or two elements of it that would cause it to be challenged on religious grounds. Then, argue whether those elements justify banning. One of the texts that we have discussed in class is The Handmaid’s Tale. I think this is a good example of a book being challenged on religious grounds for many reasons. In the novel we are put into this world where woman have no rights, we learn that this world began by...
Words: 833 - Pages: 4
...about all of this? Something that happens every day and most of us don’t have a clue that it’s going on. Vladimir Nabokov greatly explained situations like these in his novel, Lolita. Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1899. He spent most of his childhood reading in French, English and Russian. After they Bolshevik revolution, his family went into exile while he attended Cambridge university. After many years spent in Berlin and Paris, he wrote many novels, poems, and short stories in Russian. In 1940, he moved to the United States with his wife and son where he taught Russian. He wrote Lolita in 1955 and shortly after, moved to Switzerland and died in 1977. Many people would say he has something wrong with his head after reading Lolita, but in my opinion he is just stating the truth that most people are too careless to see. Lolita is a novel about an older man named Humbert who has an obsession with the innocence of little girls. He seduces “nymphs” which are young girls between the ages of 14 and 17 who have sexual appeal. When he meets a 12 year old girl named Lolita, he falls in love and does anything and everything to be with her. It is the most disturbing book I have ever read but it shows exactly what goes through a man’s head when he sees little girls. One of the main themes in Lolita is innocence. Nabokov shows this because Humbert takes away the innocence of the little girls. “She groped for words. I supplied them mentally “he...
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...becomes excessively paranoid that Lolita is conspiring with others to leave him. Lolita becomes ill, and their trip is forced to be shortened by her staying in a hospital. When Humbert goes to check on Lolita one day, he is told that she was checked out by her uncle, which outrages Humbert, inspiring him to search for Lolita for years. After his years of searching, he recieves a letter from Lolita saying that she's married, pregnant, and needs money. Humbert immediately goes to her house, giving her money in exchange for the name of the man who kidnapped her. Humbert begs her to leave her now husband to come travel with him again, but she refuses. Humbert goes to find the man who stole his Lolita, intending to kill him, and after some fighting, he does. Humbert leaves the house quickly, and is arrested for driving on the wrong side of the road and swerving, which he says he did because “I had disregareded all laws of humanity, I might as well disregard the rules of traffic.” Humbert's final request was for the memoir he made to be published only when Lolita is no longer alive, which he says is so neither of them will be alive when a person would read the book, but could be because he doesn't want people to know her side of the story, what he actually did to...
Words: 909 - Pages: 4
...Alexander Hristov Dr. Peter Becker ENGL E-166 May 5, 2015 Literature as Art: Aesthetic Appeal in Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita Close reading is the foundation of literary analysis. Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov famously noted in an interview that, “Curiously enough, one cannot read a book: one can only re-read it. A good reader, a major reader, and active and creative reader is a re-reader.” Essentially, he contends that one cannot fully appreciate a book’s artistic subtleties and thematic nuances because initial readings require more rigorous information processing. Nabokov believed that only upon further reading and re-reading could one interpret the significance of an author’s style. His 1955 classic, Lolita, is a veritable case study on literature as art. Ever the writer’s writer, Nabokov uses language as a means of artistic expression. In Lolita, shocking subject matter is effectively assuaged by means of literary invention. Nabokov, referencing his novel, once noted: There are gentle souls who would pronounce Lolita meaningless because it does not teach them anything. I am neither a reader nor a writer of didactic fiction…For me a work of fiction exists only insofar as it affords me what I shall bluntly call aesthetic bliss, that is a sense of being somehow, somewhere, connected with other states of being where art (curiosity, tenderness, kindness, ecstasy) is the norm (Azevedo 2). The story itself is replete with abhorrent topics: rape, murder, and pedophilia...
Words: 1216 - Pages: 5
...the reading of ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘Lolita’ force the reader to question their own moral values? Both ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘Lolita’ are written in 1st person from the perspective of the protagonists, Humbert Humbert and Alex, who are both despicable characters in different ways. The novels are settings of the novels are completely different, ‘A Clockwork Orange’ set in a dreary futuristic world and ‘Lolita’ set (mainly) in 1940s-50s America and revolve around two completely opposite, yet disgraceful people. That said both of the books somehow make the reader question the characters wrong doing. In both of the novels the reader is shielded, through manipulation of language, from the true horror of what is happening in the narrative. In ‘A Clockwork Orange’ it is (especially when first reading the novel) sometimes quite hard to fully grasp what Alex is saying in the unusual ‘Nadsat’ slang he uses. When he is wanting ‘A lashing of ultraviolence’ and describes his ‘plunging’ and ‘creeching’ the reader grasps enough to know what it going on as (including the example shown) many of the slang words used, derive from or are the similar to the words which we would use in our society. What is happening therefore, because it isn’t explicitly written, is easier for the reader to not be as shocked or offended by what they’re reading. In ‘Lolita’ Humbert uses such a beautiful language and style to express his story of (in his words) ‘Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins’. He...
Words: 706 - Pages: 3
... The Catcher In the Rye , a novel by J.D. Salinger, took place in New York city during the late 1940s. Holden, the narrator of the novel got kicked out of his 3erd boarding school, Pency which was located in Pennsylvania. This school was, as Holden described it full of phonies and crooks. He did not care for his roommate Stradlater and he was annoyed by Ackley the guy that lived in the room over. He flunked out of every class, but English witch got him thrown out. He decided to go to New York before he went home for Christmas break and, before his parents find out about what had happened. While in New York Holden was extremely depressed, he got a room at a hotel, bought a prostitute that he did not do anything with, drank, smoked, spent a lot money, went on dates, and stayed up all hours of the night getting no sleep. There were several times Holden wanted to make a phone call to someone, but never went throw with it. Holden's younger brother Allie pasted away before all of this from cancer. Holden was always wearing a hunting hat throw out the novel it helped him cope and escape reality. When Holden finally went home he snuck in to the house and talked to his little sister Phoebe. He told her how he was kicked out and wanted to head west, but would not let her join. At the end of the novel he gave his sister his hunting hat to help her on her journey to becoming an adult one day too since it had helped him. Holden ended up in a hospital west to help him with his depression...
Words: 1004 - Pages: 5
...If I were to be stuck on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere and I had to pick one book, one food item, and one famous person I would choose, carefully, to take the book called “Pretty Little Liars,” pasta alfredo with shrimp as my food item, and Misty May Treanor as my one famous person. I would bring the book called “Pretty Little Liars” because this book would always keep me on my toes when I read and would never get old. The book is pretty long so it would take awhile to finish, which is a good thing. “Pretty Little Liars” is a very popular T.V. show series and book series. This book is about four teenage girls searching for her dead friend Ali. The catch to this series is that Ali isn’t really dead. While they are trying to find Ali, their stalker called “A” is stalking and putting them in harm’s way. “A” is the one who accidently killed Ali but didn’t mean to. Quickly, “A” buries her alive thinking she was dead, but it turns out she is alive. Then Ali digs herself out of the ground and runs away seeking for a new life. The four teenage girls, suspicious, know that she might not be actually dead and go searching for her. The girls run into traps set up by “A” but still go searching and end up finding Ali in the end. In order to fulfill my hunger pains, I would want pasta alfredo with shrimp on the deserted island as my one food item because it never gets old and tastes marvelous. Pasta alfredo with shrimp would be a good meal for being on a deserted island because...
Words: 777 - Pages: 4
...Frankenstein is a novel that explores what can happen if one decides to go against the laws of nature with science. Victor frankenstein, an intelligent but selfish man, created a monster in what I believe to be an attempt to make up for the loss of his mother. The monster itself was not necessarily a “monster”, but after horrible treatment and cruel judgements by people including it’s own creator it became one. The people reacted so negatively to the creation because it was unnatural; this was a recurring idea throughout the novel. In contrast to the unnatural monster, there is an emphasis on the beauty of nature and of what is natural, along with many other elements of romanticism. Frankenstein calls attention to the relation of nature and beauty in contrast to the idea of unnatural monstrosities. Beauty and Nature is a clear motif in the novel, and this can be seen primarily with the monster itself. It was clearly not natural as it was made by a man using pieces of decomposing humans, and people reacted to it as such. the unnatural creation was anything but beautiful; in fact, it was frightening. The only reason that the monster was treated as it was, was its appearance. This can be seen specifically when the monster was living near the family in the cottage. The old blind man was welcoming and kind to the monster, but the children, who could see the hideous unnatural creation, forced it to leave and then separated themselves from the monster further by moving. Along with...
Words: 505 - Pages: 3
...,The Presentation of male and female sexuality in Nabokov’s ‘Lolita’, Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ and Carol Ann Duffy’s poetry anthology ‘The World’s Wife’ The themes of sex and sexuality have always remained somewhat hidden by society, concealing a darker unspoken reality which has power to threaten the pure and romantic values of marriage and intimate relationships as well as established gender roles. Despite the alleviation of religious and moral restrictions, sex embodies the warped animal reflection of the exclusively human concept of love, exposing primal desires and ensuring its continued belonging to the realms of the shocking and distasteful, while inadvertently strengthening its power. It is this power that lies at the heart of much modernist literature. The illicit imagery serves as a physical subversion of the dated foundations the writings oppose. Prominent in early modernist work was the theoretical influence of Sigmund Freud, most notably in the case of contemporary writer James Joyce whose literary techniques, such as the stream of consciousness writing in Ulysses, have come to epitomize modernist fiction. Ulysses not only challenges the censors’ attitude to sex, but also what were considered the sexual norms for men and women in pre-war Catholic society. Similarly, Vladimir Nabokov uses sexual deviancy to protest the theoretical ideas implicit in modernist literature through characteristics derived from post-World War II civilisation. The absence of structure or...
Words: 4061 - Pages: 17
...Michelle English 1010.82- Perry Revised Journal 4 09/28/2011 Revised Journal #4 In the story “Learning to Read and Write” we are introduced to the African American slave by the name of Fredrick Douglas. During the time of slavery it was prohibited for slaves to learn to read and write. Douglas was desperate to learn. He had been introduced to literature at around the age of twelve and from that moment on he thirsted for knowledge. The more literature Douglas read, the more aware and educated he became on slavery and how disturbing and vulgar the history and reality of it truly is. Douglas educated himself in secrecy on his own time although often found himself wishing he hadn’t due to the awful findings and truths about the world that he came across. The risk Douglass faced by educating himself was similar to that of the risks which Nafisi’s students took as they would secretively meet at her home to continue to learn and expand their knowledge on literature. Both Douglass and Nafisi’s students were committed to literature and furthering their education. Although, by taking the risk and becoming more aware of their undesired lifestyles, it gave them each hopes and dreams that things would be different in the future. Many people today find education to be a given opportunity and right. I believe that if today people still had to take risks and fight for their right to an education many would not, Americans today have become lazy and feel that most things in life are...
Words: 367 - Pages: 2
...Vladimir Nabokov's book Lolita, the use of imagery helps readers understand the disturbing views of the main character, and why in his perspective his illegal actions are justifiable. Throughout the novel, the main character Humbert Humbert expresses the love and affection he has for young girls, or “nymphets” as he often addresses them. The very word nymphet is defined as an attractive and sexually mature young girl. His use of the word is indicative of his disturbed mental state, and magnifies his struggle between lust and what society deems as acceptable. As the book goes on, it is evident that there is no stopping Humbert. He is already infected with an incurable desire, overtaken by the nymphet’s beauty, innocence and fragility. While all of these aspects are applied to the girls he is infatuated with, they can also be used to describe graceful and dazzling butterflies. Butterflies are known for their hypnotic colors, fluttering wings, and incredible beauty, all...
Words: 581 - Pages: 3
...Suggested Reading List This section wouldn’t be complete without a list of some great books to read. Reading about reading and answering test questions is fine, but the best way to improve your reading ability is to read.This list is compiled by category.Help yourself. Choose one from the list, pick it up at a local bookstore or library, open the cover, and enjoy. Autobiography/Memoir Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X Black Boy by Richard Wright The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank Having Our Say by Sarah L. and Elizabeth Delany The Heroic Slave by Frederick Douglass I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing by Maya Angelou Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi Coming of Age The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros A Separate Peace by John Knowles Detective/Thriller Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries The “A is for…” series by Sue Grafton The Client by John Grisham Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Shining by Stephen King Watcher by Dean R. Koontz Fantasy The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony Any Harry Potter book by J.K. Rowling Historical/Social Issues The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel The Color Purple by Alice Walker The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Lord of the Flies by William Golding ...
Words: 713 - Pages: 3
...Rebellion In many countries, it is tough and hard for many to live due to the country having many problems and giving hardships and unfairness to the people. This tends to make the people of the country very angry at what they go through and then this starts to causes a rebellion because the people of the country try to make changes and make it easier for them. But in some countries, the idea of a rebellion wasn’t taken so lightly. Some rebellions were treated with gun fire and others were treated by being put in jail. In the text Lolita in Tehran, Persepolis 2 and Cairo: my city, my revolution it helps us to get more information on how the author felt the idea of a rebellion was treated. In the text of Cairo: my city, our revolution...
Words: 410 - Pages: 2
