Lolita’s post-modernist focus on the subjective experience, maximalist writing, intertextuality, and the cautionary but masterful display of the powers of language to enchant has opened the literary world to a form of artistic expression that defied contemporary norms and expectations.
The maximalist writing, intertextuality, and meta-fiction are hallmarks of the post-modernist idea that literature should contain a more fluid, organic creation that was interconnected with other media rather than being a fixed work of art. In refraining from adopting a strong, clear objective moral position in favor of presenting Humbert’s subjective experience, Vladimir Nabokov signals his subscription to the post-modernist emphasis on the fragmentary nature of the human experience.
Historical Context
Nabokov finished writing “Lolita” on December 6, 1953, and published in 1955. The story emerges from a period marked by post-World War II affluence and the contrasting undercurrents of the Red Scare in America. Amidst the cultural milieu of rigid sexual morality and burgeoning suburban ideals, the novel’s provocative exploration of desire and deviance challenged societal norms, reflecting the tension between conformity and rebellion. Nabokov, an émigré shaped by the turbulence of the Bolshevik Revolution and the rise of Nazism, infused his narrative with the sensibilities of an outsider, offering a meticulous and often unsettling portrayal of American life. The novel’s innovative narrative techniques and complex characterizations stand as a testament to its modernist roots and postmodernist flair. Although initially met with censorship and controversy, “Lolita” has transcended its scandalous reception to be hailed as a literary masterpiece.
Author’s Background
Vladimir Nabokov, born in 1899 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was a literary virtuoso known for his intricate prose and multilingual dexterity. Fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution, he spent his formative years in Europe, where he absorbed the influences of Russian, French, and English literary traditions. Nabokov’s motivations were shaped by his experiences of exile and displacement, which infused his work with themes of memory, loss, and identity. His early novels, written in Russian, include “The Defense” and “Invitation to a Beheading,” both of which showcased his gift for elaborate narrative structures and rich, poetic language.
Literary Context
“Lolita” blends tragicomedy and psychological novel conventions, subverting the coming-of-age and American road novel genres to delve into themes of taboo, desire, and manipulation. Influenced by modernist and postmodernist movements, Nabokov employs stream-of-consciousness and unreliable narration, alongside playful narrative structures and metafictional elements, reflecting his fascination with language and artifice. Compared to other works like J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” and Richard Wright’s “Native Son”, “Lolita” stands out for its provocative subject matter and intricate prose, challenging readers with its layered storytelling and ethical complexity.
Publication and Legacy
Nabokov initially proposed to publish the novel under a pseudonym but was discouraged by publishers. Fearful that the book may be banned due to its controversial subject, several publishers that Nabokov pitched the book to refused to take on the project.
However, Nabokov was able to publish the book under Olympia press, a French company, in September 1955. Nabokov did not realize that his book was being published because of its erotic contents, as Olympia press specialized in publishing erotica. The book was given some attention when Graham Greene named it as one of the best books of 1955, in the Christmas edition of the London Sunday Times. The review attracted criticism from critics, some of whom reduced “Lolita” to “pornography” and denounced it as an obscene and filthy work. However critical opinion gradually shifted and when the Novel was published in the United States by Putnam on August 18, 1958, most of the reviews were positive.
The book sold over a million copies within a month and stayed at the top of the best sellers list for seven weeks. The name Lolita has become synonymous with a sexualized child, while Nabokov’s book sparked discussions about the sexualization and fetishization of children and women in general.
Nabokov himself undertook the translation of Lolita to Russian in 1967, feeling that another person might mistranslate several complicated parts of the book. Nabokov made a number of additions to the translation to help Russian readers better understand some of his allusions. His translation received mixed reviews; While some saw it as stilted, others praised it as a work of perfection.
Cultural Context
“Lolita” intricately depicts the mid-20th-century American society with its suburban ideals, consumer culture, and strict sexual morality, contrasting these norms with the darker realities of obsession and exploitation. Nabokov critiques the superficiality of the American Dream and the commodification of youth, using Humbert Humbert’s predatory fixation on Lolita to expose the underlying moral corruption masked by societal respectability. The novel reflects and challenges contemporary culture by highlighting the fetishization of innocence and the hidden perversions behind outward conformity. It also intersects with early movements of the sexual revolution, questioning traditional norms and foreshadowing the cultural shifts of the 1960s, while incorporating Freudian influences and the era’s burgeoning interest in psychological exploration.
Critical Responses
Since its publication, “Lolita” has spurned hundreds of critical responses. These publications, essays, and reviews form part of a long-running debate about themes in the book. While some had dismissed Lolita as obscene pornography or immoral work, an opposite view that sees the book as a moral tragedy has come to dominate. Critics have also debated on Nabokov’s purpose in writing the book, disagreeing on how much he was motivated by stylistic or didactic motivations. The character Lolita has been dissected to discover how innocent she truly was, and Humbert’s seeming repentance at the end has sparked debate about how genuine it really was and how much it should redeem the character.
Feminist readings of the novel have criticized seemingly masculinist reflections that adopted Humbert’s framing of “Lolita” and follow that character’s habit of overlooking Lolita’s suffering, and newer perspectives seem to uncover a metaphysical purpose to Nabokov’s writing that reimagines characters like Charlotte for instance as a haunting supernatural presence that contributes in directing Humbert’s fate. Other literary excavators have utilized seeming discrepancies in dating within the work to hypothesize that certain critical parts of the book like Humbert’s visit to Dolly, and the killing of Quilty might have really been Humbert’s creative fabrications.
Nonetheless, “Lolita” has been included in several lists of best books, such as Time‘s List of the 100 Best Novels, Le Monde‘s 100 Books of the Century, Bokklubben World Library, Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels, and The Big Read. Lolita has not only found literary acclaim, but it has also claimed a large share of scholarly appraisals on Nabokov’s art. In 2008, Zoran Kuzmanovich noted that one-fifth of the approximately 2500 scholarly pieces written on Nabokov was focused on Lolita.
“Lolita” has featured heavily in pop culture, with artists like Katy Perry and Lana Del Rey making references to the titular character in their music. The story has also inspired several musical adaptations, ballets, stage adaptations, an opera, spin-off novels, fashion subcultures, and memorabilia.
Modern Relevance
The severity of the character Humbert Humbert’s crimes is still being debated, with critics and commentators disagreeing on how best to characterize his sexual acts with Lolita. “Lolita” continues to be a focal point for discussions about the place of taboo in literature. Both the book and film adaptations have sparked conversations about the sexual objectification of underaged children in the media.
Having acquired the film rights for Lolita, Stanley Kubrick and James Harris offered Nabokov the chance to write the film’s screenplay in 1959. Nabokov refused the offer, being unwilling to make the alterations to his novel that the producers demanded. However, he regretted this decision and when he was offered a second chance to take the offer in January 1960, he took it.
After several revisions that trimmed the screenplay to standard movie length, Nabokov finally submitted a version that Kubrick approved. After the film was released, Nabokov was surprised by how much Kubrick altered his work. The screenplay began with Humbert’s murder of Quilty and seemed to emphasize Humbert’s status as a murderer more than a pedophile. Nabokov would describe the film as “first-rate” in public, although he described the experience of seeing the film in private as equivalent to a “scenic drive as perceived by the horizontal passenger of an ambulance”.
Stanley Kubrick directed the first movie adaptation of “Lolita” in 1962, although he made significant changes to the plot script Nabokov himself co-wrote. The film starred James Mason, Sue Lyons, and Peter Sellers and was generally well-received, despite garnering flak for its darkly comical treatment of pedophilia. Adrian Lyne directed the second adaptation of “Lolita” in 1997, starring Jeremy Irons, Dominique Swain, and Frank Langella. The film attracted criticism after it featured sex involving an underaged Swain.
