Subject
Book of the Century (fwd)
Date
Body
I find the statement by Auberon Waugh:
The "effect of Lolita, by contrast, has been enormous". It is described as
about a 37-year-old professor and "a 12-year-old schoolgirl called Dolores
Haze, who seduces and later deserts him". Now, as a result of this book,
"we all agree that paedophilia is wrong. At last we have a common, shared
morality. This is quite an achievement for a mere novelist".
(quoted by Charles Harrison Wallace) difficult to believe.
I don't feel the the common view of pedophilia was changed by "Lolita". If
anything the common view is that that "Lolita" is a "dirty" book because it
describes acts of pedophilia.
Even worse, Nabokov certainly had no intent to establish a "common, shared
morality"!
Now to have a common, shared, misconception about ones book is, indeed,
quite an achievement for a "mere" novelist and one (I like to think)
which would amuse Nabokov.
By the way, did Lolita really seduce Humbert? I don't think so. Perhaps
Auberon Waugh (or I) ought to re-read the book?
Brian
The "effect of Lolita, by contrast, has been enormous". It is described as
about a 37-year-old professor and "a 12-year-old schoolgirl called Dolores
Haze, who seduces and later deserts him". Now, as a result of this book,
"we all agree that paedophilia is wrong. At last we have a common, shared
morality. This is quite an achievement for a mere novelist".
(quoted by Charles Harrison Wallace) difficult to believe.
I don't feel the the common view of pedophilia was changed by "Lolita". If
anything the common view is that that "Lolita" is a "dirty" book because it
describes acts of pedophilia.
Even worse, Nabokov certainly had no intent to establish a "common, shared
morality"!
Now to have a common, shared, misconception about ones book is, indeed,
quite an achievement for a "mere" novelist and one (I like to think)
which would amuse Nabokov.
By the way, did Lolita really seduce Humbert? I don't think so. Perhaps
Auberon Waugh (or I) ought to re-read the book?
Brian