Dangerous Liaisons
Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel Lolita is equally greeted with acclaim for its rich literary style, and horror at the author’s attempt to rationalize sexual abuse of minors. If this written work were to have been based on a true story, much of the praise would be exchanged for gasps of outrage. However, perhaps due to the author’s squeaky- clean image and the clear notion that this tale is a purely fictional one, the reader feels safe to explore and to understand the warped mind of the narrator in his quest to seduce his step- daughter, whom he lovingly calls Lolita.
The narrator, Humbert Humbert, takes the opportunity in the beginning of the novel to understand the origin of his pedophilic predilections. He believes that he is attracted to “nymphets” as he terms young female waifs, because he never had the chance when he was younger to consummate his relationship with his girlfriend, Annabel, before she died at an early age from typhus. Humbert’s Freudian approach of analyzing his sexual feelings shows that Humbert both possesses an intellectual background, and understands that his approach to sexuality is not at all socially acceptable.
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Tags: Lolita; Pedophilia
