That Book By Nabakov

Okay, lots of alterna-identified people will claim that Lolita is one of their favorite books. But who has actually read it and enjoyed it and who just enjoys the taboo-busting nature of it or songs by The Police? I finished high school when I was 16 and immediately went to university a continent away from my family and I was fairly worked up at the time about people treating me like my age meant I was less capable or less able to make decisions than I was. I have an English degreee and my concentration was comparative literatures and I felt like I should read all the important classics whether or not they were ever assigned in a class I took. I owned that book by Nabakov for years and could never slog through all those boring passages. Does anyone really like that book?

Vladimir Nabakov was never one of my favorite russian authors. Most Russian writers tend to write with multi-dimensional meanings throughout their texts. Lolita is convoluted by disguisting topics such as the bizarre **********c undertones, however. It did inspire one good tune:

Don't Stand ... Don't Stand so close to me - The Police.

OEC

Honestly...I never got it. I know why too. I made the mistake of reading it as a teenager. You don't really get why it's suppose to be taboo at that age. Plus seeing many girls my age (under the "legal" age of 18 in this case) date guys in their 20's and 30's it all seemed pretty normal...so for me it was a pretty boring book. Now I can see why it's so taboo but unless the guy or gal is FORCING the underage girl or gal in a really vile way it's really hard to see as taboo...criminal yeah...it's a felony after all...but a taboo? I mean lets be honest...until late last century it was not exactly rare for older men to marry girls just turning 13...go farther back and it's pretty much customary. Granted one didn't live as long as they do now but hell even when I was that age I knew girls sleeping with older guys...

Taboo...meh...overrated is more like it. Then again I can't really stand girls under 21 for more than 5min...it's something about the way they act and talk the annoys the hell out of me. This reminds me of that film Brooke Shields made as a kid where she played a child prostitute....I remember hearing how it was so taboo...after seeing it...I can see why it would be uncomfortable for adults....but again...11-13 is really the ages when you start experimenting with sex...and lets face it...it either goes healthy or it goes dark as night. Focus always seems to be on the darker aspect where abuse and manipulation are involved. Yet every girl I know lost their viginity young and to a much older guy. I know about six or so that say they lost their virginity at 13-15 to guys 20+

So really...how is this taboo anymore? Or is it only taboo if a guy is a certain age like 30+?

It's one of those topics that's fun to make morality plays about and unrealistic laws and perceptions yet it goes on regularly. I still support the criminal nature of it mainly cause I don't want ACTUAL abusers to have a loophole but even as a victim of that abuse and the darker nature of it all I gotta say...it's just not taboo...and to make a convoluted mess of a book about it one has to wonder if it's considered a classic because of the fake taboo involved or the ethics of the time? That comes into question too since I can't think of one decade in the 20th century that was puritanical enough to buy into that....but it seems one obviously did. (and please no one say the 50's was puritanical...it gave us gritty and sleazy crime novels, celebrity tabloids filled with sex,drugs,and death, Biker gangs, Teen Violence flicks, Stippers, Playboy, and Rock n Roll.)

As far as The Police goes...honestly...I never liked them and again think they are overrated.

It was more the tone of Lolita that set me off. I just never liked Nabokov as much as any number of other russian writers. It goes beyond any "taboos". I liked that particular Police song as I knew what it referred to. It had a direct correlation to my own history. I can't say I ever listen to them now.

OEC

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Originally Posted by OneEyedCat

It was more the tone of Lolita that set me off. I just never liked Nabokov as much as any number of other russian writers. It goes beyond any "taboos". I liked that particular Police song as I knew what it referred to. It had a direct correlation to my own history. I can't say I ever listen to them now.

OEC

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I think I still have that album on vinyl, but I haven't owned or had access to a turntable in years.

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Originally Posted by AmeliaG

I think I still have that album on vinyl, but I haven't owned or had access to a turntable in years.

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Vinyl is still best for sound quality. I just picked up a 3 speed turntable. Most of my records are in California tho.

OEC

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Originally Posted by OneEyedCat

I just never liked Nabokov as much as any number of other russian writers.
OEC

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ever read Sholokhov, Mikhail Aleksandrovich?

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Originally Posted by 23*

ever read Sholokhov, Mikhail Aleksandrovich?

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I haven't read much of Sholokhov. Bulgakov was the main 20th Century writer
that had any resonance with me.

OEC

My mom has it on her Book selh with many other books, I have never read it....even though I myself have read most of the classics it's one I just don't want to read....

I guess I actually have to read it. I do like a lot of his short stories and his interviews are interesting (he's no Edward Gorey, but you know). I guess it's like the Bible, talked about a lot, but never read.

never read it but still have the cd of the police greatest hits

I have this problem. See...as a young person, as in underage, I liked the police song. It had a catchy tune, and I always had crushes on older men. Occasionally WAY older. However, having said that, none of them ever acted on my affection for them.

Now, as for the Book, I read that as an adult, and was disgusted. I didn't get the impression that Nabikoff was condoning the activity, however, the fact that it has encouraged the whole idea of "she seduced me" is revolting. Particularly now that I have young nieces, nephews, and friends with children.

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Originally Posted by Wickedanima

I have this problem. See...as a young person, as in underage, I liked the police song. It had a catchy tune, and I always had crushes on older men. Occasionally WAY older. However, having said that, none of them ever acted on my affection for them.

Now, as for the Book, I read that as an adult, and was disgusted. I didn't get the impression that Nabikoff was condoning the activity, however, the fact that it has encouraged the whole idea of "she seduced me" is revolting. Particularly now that I have young nieces, nephews, and friends with children.

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It's so hard to say. You can have sex with 14 year olds in Canada and in some other countries it sort of a case by case thing. "She seduced me" is interesting from a criminal pyschoanalysts point of view I suppose.

i thought the book was OK far substandard to most famous russian literature of the period i should read it again because the first time i read it i was in ninth grade

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Originally Posted by Kidthorazine

i thought the book was OK far substandard to most famous russian literature of the period i should read it again because the first time i read it i was in ninth grade

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You know he's a Russian emigre writing in the U.S., right? He's not really a "Russian" writer like Tolstoy or something, as far as I know (excuse me if I messed up that fact).

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Originally Posted by memorydream

You know he's a Russian emigre writing in the U.S., right? He's not really a "Russian" writer like Tolstoy or something, as far as I know (excuse me if I messed up that fact).

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He started emigrating after the Bolsheviks came to power. I'd still call him a russian author in terms of style and influence. He was born and grew up in St. Petersburg. He wasn't a national russian writer like Tolstoy.

OEC

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Originally Posted by OneEyedCat

He started emigrating after the Bolsheviks came to power. I'd still call him a russian author in terms of style and influence. He was born and grew up in St. Petersburg. He wasn't a national russian writer like Tolstoy.

OEC

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thats what i was thinking i new he lived in the US but you can tell from his style that he had a lot of russian influence

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Originally Posted by OneEyedCat

He started emigrating after the Bolsheviks came to power. I'd still call him a russian author in terms of style and influence. He was born and grew up in St. Petersburg. He wasn't a national russian writer like Tolstoy.

OEC

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That's what I meant, thanks.