Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita: Is It Pornography?
Vladimir Nabokov published the book "Lolita" in 1955. There was an outcry of "pornography" and the book was banned in France.
The book “Lolita” has been called pornographic, and repulsive among the more polite expressions. In 1955 Vladimir Nabokov not wanting to endanger his job at Cornell at first considered publishing it under a pen name. The book received high praise by American writers Dorothy Parker, Graham Green, Lionel trilling, and William Styron, although it had been banned in France in 1956, Lolita became the best selling book in America. Nabokov was able to quite his job teaching which had supported him financially. He wrote to his sister ” This ought to have happened thirty years ago.”
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“Lolita” has had it’s share of put downs in the U.S. but hasn’t been seriously threatened since 2006 when the Marion County Fla., library system fought off a challenge to remove it from their unrestricted bookshelves. County commissioners backed the librarian by a 3-to- vote.
It isn’t an easy target for censors because it is not a book addressed to children. In 1998 the board of the Modern Library voted it number 4 on its list of the 20th century’s Greatest English language novels, behind “The Great Gatsby,” “Ulysses” and “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.”
The book is about a middle aged man, sensual, treacherous, and guilt ridden. His victim is a twelve year old girl named Lolita. Her father is dead and her mother resents her growing sexuality.The leading character is Humbert Humbert. The young girl plays him for clothes, food, doodads, tours, doling out her favors while holding a rape charge over his head. She eventually leaves Humbert for another pedophile.
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Nabokov called Humbert “a vain and cruel wretch who manages to appear “touching”. he also wrote, “yet there is a green lane in Paradise where Humbert is permitted to wander at dusk once a year.” Lolita is also stalked by another pedophile, a famous playwright named Clare Quilty but Humbert misses the clues of his shadowy presence. Quilty steals Lolita away to make pornographic movies, which she refuses to do.
In Nabokov mythology Lolita exists as a creature who is not truly human, where she and Humbert will never grow up, in reality Humbert realizes she will grow up and take her place in the normal world. The books foreword written by Nabokov posing as “John Ray,Ph,D.,” calls it a case history which will become a classic in psychiatric circles. Nabokov actually found psychoanalysis grotesque and inhuman. he called Freud “the Viennese witch doctor.”
In the end Humbert realizes that his story isn’t about his loss of Lolita but about Lolita’s loss of her own childhood.
http://bookstove.com/non-fiction/the-sweet-potato-queens-big-ass-cook-book/
Liked it
Seems an unusual book. Characters like Lolita are victims of cicumstances.
I have read Lolita….can’t be termed pornography!
I red it too and I don’t think it is about pornography.
1955 people may have been a little narrow-minded.Now there are way to much stuff that are accepted,while they shouldn’t.
An unusual book it seems but didn’t quite come close to the Satanic Verses and what it did to Salman Rushdie, the author. Both titles though seem to have shared attention as controversial books to challenge our social code of ethics. Thanks fo sharing, Ruby.
Racy? Yes. Porn? No. Good write.
Pornography? Far from it. That would be like saying the “Birth of Venus” or “Venus of Urbino” is pornography. It’s a fine line and one that has been the subject of much debate, especially when it comes to the First Amendment.
New info to me
Great article!
I guess people use any sort of excuses so that they will not have to read or listen about uncomfortable truths. Thanks for writing this very enlightening article Ruby!!
I’ll check it out. It seems to be unusual and it really tempts my curiousity to know more. Thanks for sharing.
I like Lolita. It is about oppression and being controlled. The book made me feel angry for Lolita & it made me root for her freedom.
Also, in reading about various challenges to books, I see that almost any work that deals honestly with sex gets called pornography from Songs of Songs to The Color Purple.
I forgot to say: Good article, Ruby.
Good review of the book Ruby. Unfortunately, the drama of Lolita is played out everyday in this world.
I wonder if reading this book would widen the perspective of someone in one way or another in a positive direction which allows them to feel more protected from possibility of exploitation.
Decent book review – but the title of the article is misleading because the article never attempts to answer the question posed in the title. It is a provocative title, and maybe that was the point. It’s curious that France banned the book while it was okay in the U.S. Henry Miller seemed to have had the exact opposite situation – his work was banned in the U.S. but available in France. Interesting.
Sharazad – interestingly I think both characters in Lolita suffer from oppression and control. I feel badly for both of them.
Nice review.I have to go for it.
Good article!
I did read the book and saw the movie. If I remember the movie correctly, Marlon Brandon had a guess appearance and Sue Lyon played Lolita. And that’s about all I remember.
Where have I been? lol. never heard of this book nor the movie. Sounds like a good plot.
I read the book and I have to agree with racy.
I read Lolita in my twenties and enjoyed it has much as one can enjoy Nobokov. Really not light reading. Morally, ethically, and culturally I do not believe it to be pornography. However, new laws in the US specifically legally it would be termed as Child Pornography. As to that debate it depends on if you live in the real world of biology and science or the imaginary world where people aren’t adults until they are thirty or whatever.
The point of the book is not so much about the ages involved and our preception about how people of certin ages are suppose to act or what type of relationships they can have together. The point is men are suckers for women and some WOMEN start that manipulation early on. Humbert is the victim here. Both from himself and Lolita.
Great article, Ruby, I read Lolita, didn’t think it was pornography!
great article and I should find a copy to see for my self if indeed it’s pornography.
Children Lolita’s age should be playing with dolls and jump rope, helping with household chores and doing homework, not being used and learning to blackmail.
The depth and depravity of the human form and frame of mind, is neither of heaven or hell, but the realm of the dramatic existence known as mankind to be studied by intellectuals and act as warning to the common man. The writer presents the situation, the reader returns the judgement. Thus, I deem this as a good piece of literary review and the story of Lolita as a grand work of literary insight in a world of depravity. Classic in dramatic work, antagonist, protagonist, and a moral driven in the twists of such a life that the characters have chosen to live. In other words, I liked it.
An very good review. I haven’t read this but I may give it a try.
Christine
I have not read the book. Great review, Ruby.
Reading through the comments you got Ruby I can see you picked a great article to write about. I have heard of the book and have a rough idea what its all about, I think people at that time were still shocked at Betty Page!?
Never got around to reading the book, so I can’t really say with authority. I’m sure it’s a storm in a teacup though.
Thank you my friends, I found Lolita hard reading as all of Nokova’s writing and I don’t call it pornography. It is certainly not something a child would read so I doubt a parent has to worry about the book being on the library shelf. I find it interesting to look into the mind of a pedophile. I read the book long ago and delved into it again to see if I had changed my mind about the content and found I hadn’t.
I’ve never heard of this book. If it’s compared to a Charles Dickens novel or James Joyce novel then it must be a great piece of literature. What’s surprising is that is was banned in France of all countries. So many great authors that were banned in America like Henry Millers books, William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch, I wonder why France would ban it in the 50’s. Like all great literature that has cencorship issues it always seems to bring more notoriety to the books. Bad publicity is better than no publicity and cencorship actually helps bring these books to light. Great article Ruby.
Well, I always wondered from where the reference in The Police’s “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” came, where they mention “that book by Nabokov.” Now I know, thanks to you, Ruby.
I read ‘Lolita’ about 20 years ago and found it risque at worst, it certainly isn’t pornographic. Suggestive sometimes but Nabakov’s lyrically romantic style of writing lifts it above the sleazy tawdriness that might be attached to it nowadays.
Interesting article!
This was a very good review, Ruby. I haven’t read the book either, but I will have to find it. I haven’t seen the movie so maybe I will check out the public library here in New Jersey and see if I can find them both.
In 1955, people were still very conservative. I guess, even the slightest hint of lust were considered pornography. It’s a really nice article.
Interesting .. I think I will try to find and read this book .. thx