Men Explain Lolita To Me

[Ray Easton]

I was aware that you were alluding to words of HH himself -- all the more 
reason to be wary!  HH makes a fictional living out of manipulating the way 
we see him.

And one ought to be especially wary in this case, given that the novel 
explicitly pokes fun at the view that this is a morality tale -- that is 
John Ray's view of the story!

Lolita is indeed more than a stylistic exercise.  It is a presentation of 
obsession,  perhaps the best there is; certainly the best with which I am 
acquainted.

The novel itself requires no "moral lesson" for its validation.  It is we, 
the readers, who want rather desperately to find such a lesson present -- 
in this we are like HH himself. HH no doubt would say to us, while 
charmingly smiling,  "Hypocrite lecteur..."

Ray

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On December 18, 2015 3:25:35 AM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:

> Yeahp. One--I--can sound silly defending fictional " truth" in such a 
> writer. so it be. We differ. Nabokov's LOLITA would be nothing but a 
> stylistic exercise if he did not believe and show in the novel awareness 
> that pedophilia IS pedophilia. My perhaps lame remark on him " getting what 
> he deserves" was, if I remember correctly, a verbal allusion to Humbert's 
> very words as HE suggested his proper punishment, if you will remember.
>
> Totally amoral or whatever as you position re Nabokov , you will need to 
> explain Humber's recognition scene and subsequent awareness.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
>> On Dec 17, 2015, at 7:37 PM, Ray Easton <raymond.lee.easton at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> When I say 'Nabakov does not care a fig...' I am not referring to what the 
>> man in his "non-fic life" did or did not believe.  (I don't care about such 
>> things.)  I mean that his novels have no moral viewpoint and present no 
>> moral lessons.
>>
>> HH "gets what he deserves" -- you sound like John Ray, Jr., PhD.
>>
>> Ray
>>
>> Sent with AquaMail for Android
>> http://www.aqua-mail.com
>>
>>
>>> On December 17, 2015 5:35:40 PM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> yeah, Nabokov greatly dissed 'morality' in fiction all his non-fic life...
>>> but he did believe in themes and human goodness and badness..
>>>
>>> some take Nabokov's constant dissing of 'morality' as part-act (against
>>> lousy, sentimental poshlost fiction) and part unreliable narrator...
>>>
>>> Anyway, he recognized love and death and themes related to and life
>>> and sense perceptions and
>>> so much more in his own
>>> and in others' fictions.
>>>
>>> On Thu, Dec 17, 2015 at 5:50 PM, Ray Easton
>>> <raymond.lee.easton at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Morality -- Nabakov does not care a fig about morality.  And  the novel is
>>>> designed to force us to identity not with Lokita, but with HH.
>>>>
>>>> Ray
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On December 17, 2015 4:40:02 PM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> we have to identify with Lolita because common human morality....to
>>>>> read it right....
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sent with AquaMail for Android
>>>> http://www.aqua-mail.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>
>>
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