Lolita Unreliable Narrator

Never Trust a Pervert (unless necessary): a critical analysis of unreliable narration in Lolita Emotional investment morphs all experiences of persuasion, expansion, and appreciation. One’s ability to emphasize his/her own thoughts, feelings, and sense of morality throughout even the most multiperspectival literary texts allows him/her to appreciate stories in a present, dynamic manner. However, the ability to emotionally invest oneself into a literary text often inhibits readers from fully appreciating a text under the pretense of being beguiled into a false narrative notion by an unreliable narrator. Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita has come to epitomize many literary phenomenons-- with controversy and unreliable narration dominating its critical significance. Despite Lolita’s critical literary acclaim, much of the controversy free of moral consequence surrounds main character, Humbert Humbert’s unreliable narration. However, the accusation that the aforementioned Humbert is an unreliable narrator

Many critics question how far an author can detach themselves from the morality of their main characters--especially when exhibited in such a convincing portrayal of first person narration. However, the narratorial unreliability that is observable in Humbert Humbert is not product of Nabokov’s literary carelessness or likeness, but rather of his sharp, biting sense of irony. The antisocial behavior of Humbert Humbert masterfully reflects many of the antisocial behaviors occurring on a societal level during the respective time period (Maddox). The medley of irony present in Lolita extends from dramatic to situational and circumvents back again. Nabokov’s personal involvement vanishes from a perceived immoral perspective to a deep well of literary, witty involvement that relies on abstract thinking and considerate