From the Mind That Brought Us "Lolita"

[DiscusDave]

My advisor for my masters thesis sent me this link. It seems that Vladimir Nabokov, the man that gave the world the book Lolita was also an entomologist on the side.

I'm into the whole creepy crawly things anyway (masters will be in arachnology), but I though maybe everyone here will get a kick out of it too.

Nabokov's Butterfly Theory - NY Times

 

[ClassyGirl]

Lolita is my favorite book of all time. Sooooo good.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I far prefer his incest novel "ADA: or Ardor."

And I'm not at all into incest! But the book is absolutely brilliant, in wordplay, characterisation, and plotting. And the details are like little broken pieces of crystal.

He talks about butterflies in it too-- Ada is fascinated by them.

ETA: having read the article, that's kind of amazing! He was a far better scientist than his peers gave him credit for.

 

[YourCaptor]

The only good arthropod is a cooked arthropod.

PS. the bees are coming back, I've seen a few individuals and they weren't on the floor struggling around.

 

[Cattypuss]

Nabokov blows me away. Especially when I consider that English wasn't his first language.

 

[rosco rathbone]

Yeah, I saw that.

Seems like it never rains, but it pours, when it comes to genius.

 

[ClassyGirl]

I far prefer his incest novel "ADA: or Ardor."

And I'm not at all into incest! But the book is absolutely brilliant, in wordplay, characterisation, and plotting. And the details are like little broken pieces of crystal.

He talks about butterflies in it too-- Ada is fascinated by them.

ETA: having read the article, that's kind of amazing! He was a far better scientist than his peers gave him credit for.

I have heard of that one and wanted to read it. I'm not at all into pedophilia, either. Nabokov is just... such a wordsmith. He actually makes the reader feel for the kidnapping child rapist. Not an easy task.

 

[DiscusDave]

I far prefer his incest novel "ADA: or Ardor."

And I'm not at all into incest! But the book is absolutely brilliant, in wordplay, characterisation, and plotting. And the details are like little broken pieces of crystal.

He talks about butterflies in it too-- Ada is fascinated by them.

ETA: having read the article, that's kind of amazing! He was a far better scientist than his peers gave him credit for.

I haven'te read that one either. I think it's kind of interesting to know he made a character fascinated by butterflies too. It would be neat to get all of his writings now and see if some of his more scientific thinking shines through in any of the others.

 

[JMohegan]

The only good arthropod is a cooked arthropod.

Not a fan of flowers and fruits, I see. Or even cocoa products!

 

[Stella_Omega]

I haven'te read that one either. I think it's kind of interesting to know he made a character fascinated by butterflies too. It would be neat to get all of his writings now and see if some of his more scientific thinking shines through in any of the others.

Mmm... Not so much in any of the books I've read. ADA has a long dissertation regarding a popular crackpot theory about "antiterra" (which you realise is actually our own world, which makes ADA science fiction) and refers to universal principles, not to mention countries, that don't actually exist-- very clever.

And his book "Pale Fire" is a sendup of academic passion for theories, and the myopia that allows a theorist to keep on long after his ideas have been disproven. He writes a lot about academia.

And he's always mentioning species of blues, or other butterflies. I'm pretty sure theres a mention in Lolita, too.

One of the great florists' orchid species is called Vanda, and in ADA he calls it Vanadia-- the two romantic protags are Van and Ada.

 

[ClassyGirl]

Mmm... Not so much in any of the books I've read. ADA has a long dissertation regarding a popular crackpot theory about "antiterra" (which you realise is actually our own world, which makes ADA science fiction) and refers to universal principles, not to mention countries, that don't actually exist-- very clever.

And his book "Pale Fire" is a sendup of academic passion for theories, and the myopia that allows a theorist to keep on long after his ideas have been disproven. He writes a lot about academia.

And he's always mentioning species of blues, or other butterflies. I'm pretty sure theres a mention in Lolita, too.

One of the great florists' orchid species is called Vanda, and in ADA he calls it Vanadia-- the two romantic protags are Van and Ada.

According to sparknotes, apparently one of the motifs of Lolita is butterflies.
"Images of and references to butterflies and lepidopterology, the study of butterflies and moths, appear throughout the novel, emphasizing not only the physical similarities between the fragile insect and young Lolita but also the distant and clinical way in which Humbert views his lovely prey. He effectively studies, captures, and pins them down, destroying the very delicate, living quality he so adores. Virtually every time Humbert describes a nymphet, he uses such terms as frail, fragile, supple, silky, or fairy-like, all of which could just as easily describe butterflies. Like butterflies, nymphets are elusive, becoming ordinary teenagers in the blink of an eye. Lolita, in particular, undergoes a significant metamorphosis, changing from innocent girl-child to exhausted wife and mother-to-be. Next to such delicate and mercurial creatures, Humbert becomes aware of his own monstrosity, often referring to himself as a lumbering brute."

it's interesting. Now I really want to read ADA.

 

[sweepthefloor]

I will never forget the empathy I felt for Humbert Humbert while reading Lolita. I was 15 years old and my English teacher did not want to discuss it with me.
I had no idea about the butterflies, that's cool.

 

[ClassyGirl]

I will never forget the empathy I felt for Humbert Humbert while reading Lolita. I was 15 years old and my English teacher did not want to discuss it with me.
I had no idea about the butterflies, that's cool.

I know what you mean. I usually feel awkward telling people that my favorite book is Lolita, then when they ask what it's about, telling them it's the first person account of a pedophile and his love for a twelve year old... but the writing is just so spectacular that you can't help it. He's such a wonderfully biased, unreliable, convincing narrator.

 

[Noira]

He's such a wonderfully biased, unreliable, convincing narrator.

Man, now I want to read this book. I love unreliable and biased narrators.

 

[YourCaptor]

Not a fan of flowers and fruits, I see. Or even cocoa products!

Plants managed to get it on before buzzards, they can do it again.

 

[ClassyGirl]

Man, now I want to read this book. I love unreliable and biased narrators.

Well, I hope this isn't sarcasm, hahah. That's actually what I like the most about the book (besides for the diction and syntax and all that incredible stuff that Nabokov does), the way that the narrator is sooo unreliable, he can make you feel for him and you really get in his head. It's so much better than seeing it from an objective viewpoint. That's why the movie versions of Lolita don't really work, in my opinion.

 

[Cattypuss]

That's why the movie versions of Lolita don't really work, in my opinion.

Agreed - that's exactly why. And I'll say it again - this man was not writing in his first language .

IMO he also had a feel for the cadence of the English language to rival Shakepeare's.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Agreed - that's exactly why. And I'll say it again - this man was not writing in his first language .

IMO he also had a feel for the cadence of the English language to rival Shakepeare's.

And then some.

Plus he made puns that worked in two-- or more languages. At one point, a woman refers to another as "Miss Condor" alluding to her predatory attitude AND, at the same time, the gold lamè bikini she's wearing (cunt d'or, golden cunt in semi-French).

You can read ADA online here; http://www.ada.auckland.ac.nz/

 

[Cattypuss]

"Miss Condor" alluding to her predatory attitude AND, at the same time, the gold lamè bikini she's wearing (cunt d'or, golden cunt in semi-French).

Can work in whole French - "con" in French means "cunt".