nabokov redux

How readers and writers meet. This is Vladimir Nabokov's concern, rendering life to be served up to the reader on" the summit of the misty mountain of the imagination." American publishers would not touch Lolita (Nabokov and I have something in common!), was first published in France. Somebody has to agree to publish the book before it can meet its reader.

Comments on genre fiction of pornography: obscenity mated with banality. Artistic originality kills the genre.

Nabokov distinguishes "secret points of delight" in the novel. What happens in the second road trip that Lolita initiates. Violence towards Lolita increases. Writing style is more comedic, parodic, flourished. He is portrayed more and more as a hapless fool. Lolita becomes more in control, and takes on more the role of the artist. She uses the cliches of romance to manipulate him.

The next road trip takes them through Appalachia, of which Humbert has a romantic anticipation, though he finds the reality not nearly so nice. Above is a picture I found on flickr, which actually is quite romatic and beautiful.

Lolita's "play" has no real purpose; she doesn't compete, doesn't really think she can win. She is a cancelled child, her childhood is stolen from her by Humbert. He believes he has caused her to lose the will to win. Though, while he takes over her body, he can never know with completeness what is in her mind.

Symbolism abounds of dead children, children turned to stone, like Lolita. This is the other form that the aesthetic can take. If it appears as a cold hard gem, it can last forever, durable art, a sort of immortality. But, dead nevertheless. The problem, Nabokov is saying, is that art is immortal. It never changes. If your dream is to make an autonomous work of art, be aware that it will die. But it will have the preciousness of real flowers over plastic. Therefore, that which is mortal has greater value.

Can you make a novel that will sprout wings and grow claws? He wants his novel to be like a living butterfly, but it is more like the beautiful crystal. When Nabokov's family was forced to leave Russia, all they could bring with them was his grandmother's jewels, the "ossified remains of a radiant Russian life." A jewel represents the dead childhood Nabokov experienced in his own life. Beautiful art (or life) must take the risk of mortality (Lolita lives as his art, but dies giving birth to a baby.) Art can't compete with the real inventiveness of nature.

Here is the video: