Sorry to upload this so late! My writing process for this paper is unconventional because I'm actually interested in my topic. I tried to put together the ideas I have so far in a way that is easy to follow.

Since it’s publication in 1955, Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita” has garnered praise, criticism, controversy, and notoriety. As a polarizing work, Lolita cannot be discussed without paying considerable attention to the way readers interact with it. Although the novel contains more controversial subject matter, it is, at it’s core, a study of the power of language. As the narrator, Humbert Humbert uses language to guide and sway the reader. How the reader responds to his manipulation is dependent on the information they possess prior to reading the novel, and ultimately, their willingness to humor his efforts. 

The plot of Lolita is driven by Humbert’s attraction to his 12 year old stepdaughter Dolores. After his wife’s death, Humbert is free to pursue a relationship with the girl, whom he nicknames Lolita. Aware of the risks he is taking, Humbert beings to isolate himself and Lo with constant traveling. While the hard facts about what takes place in the novel are enough to condemn Humbert as a pedophile and emotional abuser, the reader must search through Humbert’s attempts at self-delusion in order to find them. As a charismatic but unreliable narrator, Humbert wastes no time in seducing his audience. In the novel’s first chapter, he confesses his crime, addresses us as “his jury” and proceeds to act as his own defense. 

The information that we as readers are given about Humbert works to make him appealing. He is European, refined, educated, and handsome. An ongoing theme in the novel is the stark contrast between the European and the American. Humbert frequently criticizes the brashness and vulgarity of his American hosts. In doing so, he paints himself as a sophisticated English intellectual who is being drawn into the loose morals of the states. Humbert’s tendency to play the victim also appears in his account of his relationship with Lo. Although Lolita is the eponymous character, we as readers never get her perspective. Her story is told through Humbert, and therefore, is subject to his manipulation. Always eager to play the victim, Humbert assures the reader that his stepdaughter seduced him. He wants the reader to be drawn into his words so that they forget he is the adult with the responsibility to put a stop to any inappropriate behavior. 

Many readers have preconceived notions of Lolita far before they ever pick up the novel. Our culture and media are rife with references and allusions to the work. “Lolita” has become a popular term to refer to a sexually precocious young girl. Participants of the Lolita fashion scene in Harajuku wear frilly childlike outfits inspired by the character. The Police’s lyric referencing “that book by Nabokov” is one of the many examples of how the novel has inspired music. Moving images and captioned screencaps from Adrian Lyne’s 1997 film adaptation can be found all over blogging platforms. For these reasons, a reader’s choice to pick up Lolita is often driven by a kind of embarrassed curiosity. Many are surprised to be greeted by a charming Englishman rather than a lecherous predator. When our assumptions are challenged, we are forced accept that we do not have all the answers. For readers of Lolita, this means allowing Humbert to present his case.