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[NABOKOV-L] Graham Greene, crimes and punishments
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While trying to recover a recent posting about Graham Greene, I came accross two messages, the first dated May 2008 and more recent one, from January 2010, from which I excerpted one query, by Fran Assa: "I wonder if it was the quote below that Graham Greene was thinking about when he asked VN if he were a Catholic based on something he had read in Lolita." The unretrieved item carried an information on Greene's mistaken idea that Humbert Humbert had repented and been converted to the Catholic faith, plus an
additional comment that this author had recently offered, for auction or sale, an edition of "Lolita" he'd received from Nabokov with a dedication.
My curiosity has been aroused after I read about the recent pedophilia-related scandals troubling the Roman Church, particularly the words by French Monsieur Jacques Gaillot, Archbishop of Evreux, related to a Canadian priest (Denis Vadeboncoeur) he'd given shelter ( cf. "Le Parisien/'Aujourd'hui.") Most statements emphasize the importance of confession and repentance, while they keep silence concerning the destinies of the victims of sexual abuse.
Graham Greene's attitude seems to me to be similar: "Lolita," deserves recognition, not only because of its literary excellency, but because it would describe a pedophile's repentance and conversion to the "true faith." In "Pale Fire" we follow part of Kinbote's religious qualms, and, apparently, also in TOoL we apprehend (vaguely) a similar inclination in a widowed Flora. Nabokov often voiced his lack of interest in "organized religion," his criticism concerning Tolstoy's and Dostoevsky's literary piety, T.S.Eliot's conversion. I wonder if his references to religion have a satirical intention, something I cannot yet grasp.
Nabokov shows compassion for his tormented and unfortunate fictional sinners whereas to lament Lolita's tragic life, focus on Hazel's and Shade's sufferings or on all the other depicted victims is possible, even necessary, but it demands a lot more attention and ellaboration on the part of the readers. I wonder what we can make of David Krug, Romantoski and Cincinnatus, should we try to extract them from their fictional status as representatives of some kind of "martyrdom." Even Lolita is often linked to Saint Joan of Arc and her pennant (I forgot how it is specifically designated by Nabokov - but its presence is felt in incendiary "Transparent Things", in "Pale Fire's" 'auto de fé'...)
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additional comment that this author had recently offered, for auction or sale, an edition of "Lolita" he'd received from Nabokov with a dedication.
My curiosity has been aroused after I read about the recent pedophilia-related scandals troubling the Roman Church, particularly the words by French Monsieur Jacques Gaillot, Archbishop of Evreux, related to a Canadian priest (Denis Vadeboncoeur) he'd given shelter ( cf. "Le Parisien/'Aujourd'hui.") Most statements emphasize the importance of confession and repentance, while they keep silence concerning the destinies of the victims of sexual abuse.
Graham Greene's attitude seems to me to be similar: "Lolita," deserves recognition, not only because of its literary excellency, but because it would describe a pedophile's repentance and conversion to the "true faith." In "Pale Fire" we follow part of Kinbote's religious qualms, and, apparently, also in TOoL we apprehend (vaguely) a similar inclination in a widowed Flora. Nabokov often voiced his lack of interest in "organized religion," his criticism concerning Tolstoy's and Dostoevsky's literary piety, T.S.Eliot's conversion. I wonder if his references to religion have a satirical intention, something I cannot yet grasp.
Nabokov shows compassion for his tormented and unfortunate fictional sinners whereas to lament Lolita's tragic life, focus on Hazel's and Shade's sufferings or on all the other depicted victims is possible, even necessary, but it demands a lot more attention and ellaboration on the part of the readers. I wonder what we can make of David Krug, Romantoski and Cincinnatus, should we try to extract them from their fictional status as representatives of some kind of "martyrdom." Even Lolita is often linked to Saint Joan of Arc and her pennant (I forgot how it is specifically designated by Nabokov - but its presence is felt in incendiary "Transparent Things", in "Pale Fire's" 'auto de fé'...)
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/