I finished reading Lolita and then I googled Lolita
i went into this blind without knowing much about the book or nabokov because i didnt want spoilers. which is a silly thing to say about a book published in 1955 but still. also the prose is indeed so good 😭
anyway what im really surprised about is that
- there are people who consider this book as pro pedophilia (like i dunno it just seemed like a record of humberts crimes and why he deserves a worser hell)
- there are people who consider this book a romance (dolores was a child and a victim in what world is that romance)
- that people find humbert humbert charming and sympathise with him (he was insufferable and annoying all throughout and i just wanted him to stop talking)
- that lolita has movie adaptations (i havent watched them don't think i will but apparently they suck)
- that the term lolita largely has come to "defining a young girl as "precociously seductive.""
- is the word lolicon somehow also related to this?
- i also learned about the existence of lolita fashion which apparently is influenced by victorian clothing
anyway, i want to read more about the various interpretations of this book and i am currently listening to the lolita podcast. but ahh podcasts are really not my forte. do yall perhaps have any lolita related academic paper suggestions?
edit: watched the 1962 movie because some of the replies praised it and i should've listened to ep 3 of the lolita podcast before watching it because that provided a lot of context and background. regardless, i want my 2.5 hrs back because sure adaptations don't have to remain entirely faithful to their source but this was not my cup of tea