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Sexuality in literature
Nabokov lolita analysis
The meaning of Humbert Humbert in lolita
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Recommended: Sexuality in literature
The story of Lolita is one of the most controversial tales ever written in the 1950’s. Classified as an erotic novel, Lolita portrays the relationship between a middle aged professor, Humbert Humbert and a young adolescent, Dolores Haze. This story has a strong sense of allusions in reference to what is considered right and wrong in sexuality and psychiatry. As summarized through Spark Notes, it is said that, “Humbert’s passion for Lolita defies easy psychological analysis, and throughout Lolita, Humbert mocks psychiatry’s tendency toward simplistic, logical explanations,” (Spark Notes, 2015). Humbert is a character who is very intelligent but has a psychological vulnerability to Lolita. His desire for her is described as love but is also portrayed
At the beginning of the 1900s, there was a “sexual revolution” in New York City. During this time, sexual acts and desires were not hidden, but instead they were openl...
At first glance, the reader could not imagine a more incompatible and diverse pair than Blanche DuBois and Fernie Mae Rosen, two women from very contrasting backgrounds and racial standings. However, these two women share similar passions and mental disorders, showing both their vulnerability to the world and mutual personal energies. Both weave an alternate reality inside their psyches that deceive them into believing that life is not worthwhile, and yet both appear to live life to various sexual and emotional extremes. Such compatibility shows the correlation in their mutual lifestyles despite incongruous backgrounds. Men always seem to be at the root of their problems, despite their clear and discernible negative reactions to the opposite sex. The examples of a virginal aura that eclipses their sexual promiscuity, their mutual hatred for the world and the people that surround them, and their transformation from passion into real madness show the reader that they have more in common than one would think.
Many authors use allusion in an effort to give a deeper meaning to a story by referring to another work, which has a similar theme. It can also be a way to further emphasize the main point and help the reader better understand and think more deeply about what they are reading. Throughout the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, he incorporates many references to the Christian Faith. Although it isn’t direct, his strong use of allusion and symbolism force us to infer. Randle McMurphy, an intelligent and observant asylum patient, makes his way into the Oregon State Hospital. Kesey utilizes the Christian Faith and Jesus Christ through the characterization and development of the main character, Randle McMurphy. This dominant, yet reformative asylum patient comes to the aid of his fellow men in attempt to change the ways of the ward.
Criticizing the cruelty of society, Baudelaire begins his book, Flowers of Evil, with a warning. To foreshadow the disturbing contents that his book focuses on, Baudelaire describes the unpleasant traits of men. Lured by the words of the Devil, people victimize others. Grotesque images of torture and swarming maggots exemplifies the horrors of our actions. Yes, our actions. Baudelaire puts shame to every human, including the reader, through the word “ours.” Humiliated, the reader dare not to allow himself to be guilty with the worst sin – boredom. Separated by dashes, the last sentence commands the reader to choose whether to fall to the worst or save himself a little bit of dignity. Accused and challenged, the reader is pressured to ponder
I have chosen to write about Virginia Woolf, a British novelist who wrote A Room of One’s Own, To the Lighthouse and Orlando, to name a few of her pieces of work. Virginia Woolf was my first introduction to feminist type books. I chose Woolf because she is a fantastic writer and one of my favorites as well. Her unique style of writing, which came to be known as stream-of-consciousness, was influenced by the symptoms she experienced through her bipolar disorder. Many people have heard the word "bipolar," but do not realize its full implications. People who know someone with this disorder might understand their irregular behavior as a character flaw, not realizing that people with bipolar mental illness do not have control over their moods. Virginia Woolf’s illness was not understood in her lifetime. She committed suicide in 1941.
Lolita undoubtedly seems to reverse this up, as Nabokov claims that he got the design for the tale he wrote an epigrammatic sketch, then later turning it into a complete tale a decade later. Furthermore, within the Nabokov dismisses all possible alternate readings of the tale, disapproving critical reviewers as "flippers" and pronouncing his own hatred of "secret speech and allegories," thus intensification his stance that Lolita exists exclusively as a tale to be told, without a great deal greater sense to take from it. On the other hand, although Nabokov's target was not to write a figurative novel, the tale he shaped unintentionally finished up as an envoy of a digit of different philosophical, sociological and psychoanalytical truths, specified in collaboration his center matter and his different script manner. The mainstream observable characteristic of Lolita and the main cause for its staying authority is Humbert's dazzling, thorny, and wonderful text. Nabokov's main stimulus for script so delightfully is to thrust the book lover addicted to a state of "visual paradise.'" Lolita is as heartwarming and understanding incident as any work of fiction, moreover on behalf of what is actually an unknown tale; it's hassle a rereading
Vladamirs Nabokov’s novel titled Lolita explores the taboo topic of pedophilia and obsession. Humbert Humbert, the main character, has always had a strong attraction to young girls around the ages twelve to thirteen or nymphets as he likes to call him. He watches them play in the park, likes to look at pictures of Girl Scouts and enjoys watching them swim in the pool. Humbert reflecting on his life tries to justify his actions that have landed him in jail by writing them down in a manuscript. He writes to his readers about how he met Lolita, the twelve year old daughter of his landlady, and chronicles how he constantly fantasies about fondeling her body and eventually taking sexual action towards her. He also kidnaps her after her mother dies and often gives Lolita toys, magazines, clothes and money in exchange for sexual favors. Though out the entirety of the novel Humbert writes about how much stress and anxiety he experiences by attempting to hide his pedophilia and how fearful he is of his secret being found out.
respond to enslavement every time the substance of positivism was given, Humbert did the same to Lolita, forcing her out of her nature from a child to a women. Nabokov and Humbert did have something in common, which was a direct passion. Humbert’s passion was the worship and possession of Lolita, but in the pursuit of these passions he also manages to study, capture, and abuse her. This destroys Lolita’s innocence. Nabokov, an avid butterfly collector adored these creatures which he found beautiful, rare, and frail. He then killed, preserved cataloged and literally, pinned them down. Memories and dreams also play a large part in many of Nabokov’s writings. Nabokov succeeded with Lolita by taking human experiences and passions and turning them to create an inhuman character. This concluding that the creation was depraved, but not the creator.
middle of paper ... ... Though, Nabokov uses Humbert’s disorder as a way to establish a situation, in which an abusive relationship could easily sprout; it has also created much controversy and debate as an effect. Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita has distinguished itself as one of the most controversial stories in American history due to its questionable content. However, if one truly understands the meaning behind the use of such deplorable aspects of life, then the question of whether the book promotes pedophilia becomes apparent.
Lolita is a book written by Vladimir Nabokov's. It showcases a story about Humbert Humbert, a European, who has a rough life due to the death of his mother. When he’s 9, he meets a girl named Annabel Leigh who he falls deeply in love with. But later dies of a disease called typhus. Her death is what is the cause for Humberts new mentality. Humbert is now obsessed with young girl between the ages of 9-14. Humbert tries to overcome his obsession by marring an adult women, which did not work out after awhile. Humbert meets a women named Charlotte Haze, and her young daughter, Dolores “Lo” Haze who is a 12 years old. From the moment Humbert lays eyes on her, he feels that he must have her. Humbert stays with the women and her daughter, while Charlotte falls in love with him she takes her daughter to camp. Humbert realizes that the only way he’ll stay in Lo’s presence is if that he tell Charlotte that he feels the same. Their marriage ends after Charlotte discovers Humberts journal, which contains his thoughts and feelings towards Lo. Shocked, Charlotte runs out of the house, gets hit by a car and dies. Humbert, surprised by what happened goes to pick up Lo from camp and takes her to a hotel, which starts their journey. Humbert has sex with her, but doesn’t let her know her mother is dead until the next day. For the next year, Lo and Humbert travel to different countries and stay in different hotels. Lo is his prisoner. After awhile the finally stayed put in a town called Beardsley, where Lo starts to attend school. Lo meets Clare Quilty, the author of the school play. Humbert and Lo get into an argument, which causes Lo to request to leave. This turns out
The storied psycho-analyst Sigmund Freud would have jumped at the opportunity to dive deeper into the mind of Henry James’ star character Daisy Miller in his novella appropriately named Daisy Miller. Many in her day could not begin to understand the ways in which Daisy’s mind worked, however Freud could have found a way, given the opportunity, to parallel many of her actions, choices, and thoughts to main ideas mentioned in his book Civilization and it’s Discontents. The careless, flirtatious behavior of the young American traveling Europe is hardly understood by and of the other characters in the novella, however Freud would have answers linked to her upbringing and development of her super-ego,
Perspective in a work like Lolita is extremely vital and is the defining factor of this novel. Contrary to what the reader might initially expect from a story about a sexual predator, Humbert Humbert presented himself as well-read and comical friend with a minute problem. This idea was shown by the quote from page 93 which stated, “We are unhappy, mild dog-eyed gentlemen, sufficiently well integrated to control our urge in the presence of adults, but ready to give years and years of our life for one chance to touch a nymphet. Emphatically, no killers are we. Poets never kill.” (Nabokov 93) Despite this claim from our narrator, the statement is contradictory to the climax of the novel. When Humbert learned Lolita willingly left the hospital
Adding on to their last names being similar, John’s daughter Hazel’s name like Dolores’ surname (Haze) as well. The word shady can sometimes also mean hazy as, they describe things that are unclear and uncertain. This could signify how the details of these characters given by, Charles Kinbote and Humbert Humbert are doubtable and can be questionable or unclear. In Lolita, Humbert Humbert describes Dolores as young and innocent even after she grew up and was no longer a child. He also, reprimands her even though she was not doing anything wrong but, he describes what she had done in a way that makes the readers sympathize with Humbert Humbert and agree with the punishments given to Dolores. Moving on both, John and Dolores had lost a close family member due to tragedy, Dolores’ mom was hit by a car right after she found about Humbert Humbert's feelings for her daughter. John’s daughter, Hazel committed suicide by drowning herself in a lake due to depression. Finally the last similarity between the two is that, neither of them are able to communicate their side of the story in the novels and are both taken advantage of by the protagonist. Since, neither of them can influence the readers thinking, that is taken advantage of by the narrators. The narrators take advantage of this and make the readers sympathize with them and agree with what they say even though it may not be correct. The characters are especially taken advantage for in the story. He takes advantage of the fact that her mother died and that he is now her guardian to take her away. Humbert Humbert frequently takes advantage of their power imbalance by punishing Dolores for virtually nothing and beginning a romantic relationship with her when she was just a child despite being much older than
Psychoanalytic criticism originated in the work of Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who pioneered the technique of psychoanalysis. Freud developed a language that described, a model that explained, and a theory that encompassed human psychology. His theories are directly and indirectly concerned with the nature of the unconscious mind. Through his multiple case studies, Freud managed to find convincing evidence that most of our actions are motivated by psychological forces over which we have very limited control (Guerin 127). One of Freud’s most important contributions to the study of the psyche is his theory of repression: the unconscious mind is a repository of repressed desires, feelings, memories, wishes and instinctual drives; many of which have to do with sexuality and violence. These unconscious wishes, according to Freud, can find expression in dreams because dreams distort the unconscious material and make it appear different from itself and more acceptable to consciousness. They may also appear in other disguised forms, like in language (sometimes called the Freudian slips), in creative art and in neurotic behavior. One of the unconscious desires Freud believed that all human beings supposedly suppress is the childhood desire to displace the parent of the same sex and to take his or her place in the affections of the parent of the opposite sex. This so-called “Oedipus Complex,” which all children experience as a rite of passage to adult gender identity, lies at the core of Freud’s sexual theory (Murfin 114-5).
Amidst war, censorship, and persecution, D.H. Lawrence channeled his resulting emotions into his writing and emerged a visionary author. Wholly misplaced with regards to the century in which it was constructed and gifted to the populace, Lawrence’s Women in Love was met with criticism for its sexual implications. However, with proper deconstruction of the novel and psychoanalysis of the principal characters, it is apparent that Lawrence’s genuine intention in his creation of Women in Love was to set concepts of new complex philosophies concerning the rituals of marriage, definitions of love, rapidly increasing modernization, and the negative effects of excessive industrialization within the minds of his audiences.