Dear List,

Carolyn suggests that my claim that Humbert generally refers to Dolores as "Lolita" only in his narration, not in his actual interactions with her, reinforces the possibility that Nabokov was influenced by Heinz von Lichberg's 1916 story "Lolita," as Michael Maar suggested in The Two Lolitas.  (If I remember correctly, Carolyn herself was the one to translate that story into English in the TLS.)

I agree that if the name "Lolita" is even more more imaginary, private, and fictitious than many readers have assumed, this does support the argument that Nabokov drew on other, earlier instances of the name in literature to describe Humbert's construction.

Thanks for the question, Carolyn!

:) SES

Susan Elizabeth Sweeney
Co-Editor, NABOKV-L