Subject
Re: The most transgressive book ever published ("souffler" in
Lolita)
Lolita)
From
Date
Body
[EDNOTE. Two additional responses to Hitchens's essay. -- SES]
[. . .] Vladimir Nabokov spoke perfect Russian and French before he
> became the unrivaled master of English prose, and his 1955
masterpiece,
> Lolita, was considered the most transgressive book ever published. (It
> may still be.) Why, then, could he not bring himself to write the
words
> "blow" or "blowjob"? [. . .]
>
I personally found this amongst the most idiotic criticisms I've ever
read.
Rich Lowenthal
***
"Bring himself," indeed! It wasn't part of his upbringing, or of his
style. Are these locutions prerequisite for admission to the literary
Pantheon? This entire discussion seems to be going on in some adolescent
orgasmic haze . -- DN
Agreed. Apart from which, it is HH not VN who expresses distaste.
Anthony Stadlen
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[. . .] Vladimir Nabokov spoke perfect Russian and French before he
> became the unrivaled master of English prose, and his 1955
masterpiece,
> Lolita, was considered the most transgressive book ever published. (It
> may still be.) Why, then, could he not bring himself to write the
words
> "blow" or "blowjob"? [. . .]
>
I personally found this amongst the most idiotic criticisms I've ever
read.
Rich Lowenthal
***
"Bring himself," indeed! It wasn't part of his upbringing, or of his
style. Are these locutions prerequisite for admission to the literary
Pantheon? This entire discussion seems to be going on in some adolescent
orgasmic haze . -- DN
Agreed. Apart from which, it is HH not VN who expresses distaste.
Anthony Stadlen
Search the archive: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/archives/nabokv-l.html
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