”She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita. Light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lolita” – from Lolita by Nabokov
I have always been a fan of Lolita. This includes the book and both movies… each tells the story differently and each is a product of it’s times.
I am unsure when I first read it but it was after I had encountered the word and long after I was aware of the concept. Even when I was myself pretty young I saw the power that could be wielded by the female of the species and I vowed early on not to be a victim to it.
This proved to be a difficult task as I am enamored of beauty and sexuality. I have managed to hold my defenses for the most part – I can appreciate it, revel in it and draw energy from it without falling entirely under it’s spell.
While pursuing a unrelated YouTube crawl recently I came across a music video that later led to a number of deleted scenes and other material from the modern remake of the film. Again I was reminded of the brilliance of Nabokov’s prose. It is interesting as well how well Jeremy Irons voice is almost perfect for Humbert’s confession.
Here are some links… I am sure I will revisit the subject later.
- Nabokov. Lolita.(I-01) – a partial online version
- Vladimir Nabokov Centennial Lolita an excerpt
- The disgusting brilliance of Lolita. – By Stephen Metcalf – Slate Magazine
- Lolita – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Later!