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Fwd: RE: On Sympathy and Suffering in Lolita X
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----- Forwarded message from gshiman@optonline.net -----
Date: Sun, 17 Apr 2005 22:44:04 -0400
From: George Shimanovich <gshiman@optonline.net>
Reply-To: George Shimanovich <gshiman@optonline.net>
Subject: RE: On Sympathy and Suffering in Lolita
To: 'Vladimir Nabokov Forum'
> I also don´t see how her dissertation could be understood as an approach
to Nabokov´s novel in order to reduce it to "pervertvictimlove".
Here is how:
The abstract builds up to the following conclusion: Nabokov teaches the
reader to reject categories such as "pedophile" and "adolescent" in favor of
attention to the human beings we force into these roles.
That connection is fully mechanical and as such it makes perfect connection
with doublethink and the rest of it. I rest my case.
- George
-----Original Message-----
From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU] On Behalf
Of Donald B. Johnson
Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2005 6:45 PM
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: Fwd: On Sympathy and Suffering in Lolita
----- Forwarded message from <mailto:gshiman@optonline.net>
gshiman@optonline.net -----
Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 23:16:56 -0400
From: George Shimanovich < <mailto:gshiman@optonline.net>
gshiman@optonline.net>
Reply-To: George Shimanovich < <mailto:gshiman@optonline.net>
gshiman@optonline.net>
Subject: RE: Fwd: RE: Dissertation Abstract: Sympathy & Suffering in LOLITA
Former postings:
............................................................................
...
1. (Jansy): ... and this is not the same as practicing "doublespeak"...
2. (G.Shimanovich): No, it is, and here is why. I view 'demolition of the
stereotypes of "pervert" and "victim' as conscious attempt to blur reality
of the novel. There is nothing in common between Orwell and VN but Orwell
allows non-passionate (cursive mine) assessment of that kind of the
criticism(...) Some texts offer difficulty which makes it even more
important to tame them. So, in same way as passage from Declaration of
Independence could be swallowed in the single word crimethink, one may
approach difficult Lolita with pervertvictimlove. (I do it only to reply to
Jancy and Mrs. Dawson - it has absolutely nothing to do with VN) (...)
..............................................................
Continuing with the discussion:
Dear G.Shimanovich,
I´m afraid I didn´t fully understand your arguments.
In the first paragraph of your answer I found what I took to be your
criticism concerning Dr.Dawson´s dissertation, that it aimed at a
'demolition of the stereotypes of "pervert" and "victim' as conscious
attempt to blur reality of the novel". And yet, a little further on you
employed Orwell´s invention of "doublespeak" to ironize what would have been
as to " approach difficult Lolita with pervertvictimlove".
I understand that Dr.Dawson was not trying to demolish the categories
comprised by the concepts "pervert" or "victim", but to study cultural
stereotypes that alter these concepts and turn society blind to all the
other complexities that come under these words.
I also don´t see how her dissertation could be understood as an approach to
Nabokov´s novel in order to reduce it to "pervertvictimlove".
Her scope seemed to me less ambitious than that since I could see no
intention to reduce VN´s entire novel to fit into that issue.
To give you an example of what I mean: Once I read a dissertation about the
meaning of "heaven´s spite" in Hamlet. The author illustrated how that word
had radically changed from Elizabethan days to ours because the religious
view that lay behind its use had altered. His argument was that it was
important to understand more about Elizabethan customs and practices to
realize what the poet was saying by "spite" and obviously was not reducing
Hamlet to a "spite" issue but on how to read Shakespeare correctly.
And that´s how I also understood Dr.Dawson´s project ( but I haven´t read
her full work to be sure, of course )
Jansy
----- End forwarded message -----