What do Americans think of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita?

48 comments

  3. It’s creepy as fuck.

    It’s also disapointing that “Lolita” is slang for a promiscuous, underaged woman, as in the story, that character was *raped*.

  4. It is widely considered a classic novel, though sadly literature is not a common topic of conversation for the average American.

    Once in a while someone in the media will object to the themes in the book, but it’s still on most lists of the best books of the 20th century.

  5. I love *Pale Fire* best of his novels, but both are exceptionally brilliant pieces of writing.

  6. It’s a wonderful, beautifully written book. It’s not my favorite thing that I’ve read from Nabokov but it’s really a great book.

  7. I’ve never read it. I know basically what it’s about, and it does not appeal to me. With so many other books out there I probably won’t ever get around to reading it. But you never know.

  8. It is well written but is the story of a pedophile grooming and raping a young girl.

  9. People still read it! It is one of those books that essentially every library and bookstore will have in their collection. It would not be unusual to read in a university literature class but, mostly due to its length, unusual for a high school.

    Personally I haven’t read it but I’ve seen the Kubrick movie adaptation.

  10. Entire books have been written about the genesis, writing, and reception of that book. I don’t think a Reddit comment will suffice.

    The average American, or person from anywhere really, doesn’t read challenging literature after school/university so I doubt they’d have an opinion. People familiar with books and literature know that it’s brilliantly written but very discomfiting, so many prefer not to read it. It’s also known to be widely misinterpreted.

  11. I met a girl once who told me that was her favorite book. Looking back, that should have been a massive red flag.

  13. I did not like that book.

    It’s a sick story about raping an underage girl.

    I’ve read some very disturbing books but that one just didn’t have any redeeming quality for me.

  14. Amazing, superbly written book. It’s one of my favorite pieces of literature out there.

  15. It’s an incredible novel by a fantastic author. Subject matter is difficult and unsettling, but so is life.

    My favorite by him though would be Pale Fire.

  16. I think it’s widely misunderstood as many people take it at face value without recognizing that the narrator is not someone who can be trusted. It’s not really possible to know what did or did not happen and how.

    Also, there are people, *right now* believing that what I just said is an apologia for rape, murder, and pedophilia, which is not, at all, what I’m saying. It’s a complicated book, and we rarely have patience for complicated or messy things… We sorta demand clear-cut answers…

    All in all, I think we think the same things most other countries think.

  17. I read it and found it very well written and disturbing and will not be re-reading it.

  18. In my youth, I assumed, perhaps naively, that it was primarily of interest to heterosexual males and thus of no interest to me.

    I still haven’t read it, but being aware of the greater concern around child abuse, I believe it’s deserving of more modern day critiques and shouldn’t be read without first having some understanding of grooming and the many ways child sexual abuse can occur.

  20. Amazing writing, horrible story. Weird how he denies you sympathy for any of the characters, including the victim. One of the best opening lines ever.

  21. I have entered a few conversations where I had to remind people the title character’s name is Dolores, Lolita was the pet name given to her by the man who groomed and abused her. Many people have watched the movie and drew certain conclusions. If you actually read the book you see how very much more disturbing it is.

  22. I am convinced the opening autobiographical paragraphs in chapter 2? I think? Was the inspiration for Dr. Evil’s monologue where he discusses his parents and such in Austin Powers.

  25. It’s one of the most well written, unsettling, memorable books I have ever read. It’s a literary masterpiece.

  26. Well known, but misunderstood. A lot of (less read) readers unfamiliar with the book do not read into the idea that the book is about a bad dude. As such, some people see it as glamorizing pedophilia. While a popular reference and read among academics or scholars, you likely wouldn’t find many outside of those groups (which are probably the main groups that read any classics now) that will understand it. I’d probably explain it like referencing an old movie. People who know about them care, others may not be willing to listen to it

  27. I think it’s incredibly well-written. The subject matter is disturbing, absolutely, and I admit to having read it purely because it was on a Banned Books list.

    I’ve intended to read other works by Nabokov since, but haven’t as of yet.

    Anyone care to recommend their favorite book by Nabokov, aside from Lolita?

  28. It has some pretty controversial stuff, but tbf so do many other highly praised books, like the Grimms’ Fairy Tales or the bible

    I’m sure there are people that would love to burn all the copies, because that’s making a comeback, but I think it’s fine

  29. It’s creepy AF. We read it in a college lit class and the professor used it as an example of a healthy romantic relationship in literature. It’s not.

  30. First off, it was based/influenced by this real-life case –

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Sally_Horner

    Secondly, the forward is a fictitious statement by a psychiatrist that clearly states Humbert is mentally ill, unreliable, and awaiting trial for murder.

    Humbert is an anti-hero. A very common literary device. Sure, he is the protagonist, but you are never supposed to *like* him or *admire* him. No different than other books where the subject is a horrible person who should never be admired, like *American Psycho, Bonfire of the Vanities,* or *The Art of the Deal.*

  31. This my opinion not a general U.S opinion but I love it I actually just ordered another copy. However I love it in a horrifying way. I think the story is terrible and I would never romanticize it, but it’s like a scary movie no matter how terrifying you can’t look away. It also helps reflect on me since in ways I do relate to her and struggled with that.

  32. It’s a very well written, very disturbing book. You get inside the head of someone and then realize you really don’t want to be there.

  33. I read it. It was well written, descriptive, entertaining, but I felt uncomfortable pretty much the entire time. I gave it 4 stars but wouldn’t necessarily recommend it friends and family unless you want to hear about how a grown man grooms a child to be his concubine and the fallout and violence that can follow.

  35. I don’t know what that is, and reading the answers, at this point I’m too afraid to ask.

  37. I was forced to read it in highschool. Very weird book but at the same time it’s lowkey how society is built. I mean I’m not sure where you are from exactly but if you have access to porn one of the most popular niches is “barely legal” or “college freshman”. Most older women want to look youthful even though some of them are well past their “prime”.

  38. It’s a great study in unreliable narration. Humbert’s telling of his first love Annabelle and her early death may be seen as an explanation for his attraction to young girls and a way to garner sympathy from the reader. Possibly he has not matured beyond that trauma, but that story is a lie and he is passing off Poe’s poem as part of his life story. Humbert is trying to convince us, and more importantly himself that he is nothing like Quilty, when in fact they are the same side of a double-struck coin.

  39. It’s great, but it’s not his best book. Obviously it’s disturbing, but that’s why it’s a highly effective piece of literature.

  40. I really admire Vladimir Nabokov as a writer. Lolita is a fascinating but a frankly wild and disturbing story. Super well written too.

  42. I love Nabokov’s writing style. It’s so beautiful that while reading I’ll forget for the longest time that Dolores is 12. Then when I do remember, it’s like a kick in the head and I have to put the book down for a while.

  43. It’s my favorite book of all time. I have yet to find anyone else who writes prose as well as Nabokov.

  44. I liked it a lot. It’s just such a beautifully written book, and then you remember the unsavoriness of the narrator/ situation and it feels UNSETTLING AND TERRIBLE. I like when a book affects me mentally/ emotionally like that and has unreliable narrators.

  45. It’s a masterpiece that’s one of the best examples of an unreliable narrator I’ve ever read. It’s frustrating and disheartening that it’s so often misunderstood. I’d heard a lot about the book growing up and before I read it I believed society’s take – it was about a teenager who seduced an older man. Imagine my horror when I started reading it and realized it was about a pedophile kidnapping and raping a child.

  46. Hands down, one of the greatest books ever written. Intentionally disturbing. It’s hardly prurient–and certainly doesn’t glamorize the actions of Humbert Humbert. Instead Lolita is really about how powerful the rationalization of evil can be from the perspective of the unreliable narrator.

    Pale Fire was kind of written along the same lines, the interior dialog of a person talking himself into believing idiotic things.

    Personally, I have a serious problem with any effort to either ban or marginalize a great book strictly because they find it disturbing. No matter what kind of veneer you want to put on it, the impulse is no different than some knuckle-dragger in Tennessee wanting to toss Harry Potter into the bonfire. Or ban critical race theory from the classroom.

    If we ban any book because someone doesn’t like the subject matter or is discomfited by it, then we will pretty much run out of books to ban in a matter of decades. Either that or we will be left with books that only fit within some pretty rarefied sensibilities.

  47. I thought the writing was brilliant, especially considering it was written in English. The content of course made me feel disgusting while reading. I had never really had a book made me feel that way before, it was great.

  48. I read it in high school. A lot of it probably went over my head, but I knew that the dude was a fucking creep.

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