Lolita: The Most Misunderstood Novel

For a limited time only, get your first 6-bottle box, a $150+ value, for just
and see your personalized wine matches.
-
second channel: @shansorbet
-
Hi! I'm Shaniya but I use the moniker Shanspeare on Youtube. I'm 24, use they/them pronouns, and love all things pop culture! My channel has a lot going on: think Shakespeare meets Baz Luhrmann meets insufferable jester in a relevant but silly costume. I have a bachelor's in English Professional Writing (and basically Literary Analysis--long story) which aids me in the creation of my content. Above all, I wish to emphasize teachability and critical engagement through a fun lens.
-
timestamps:
0:00 intro
2:00 Publishing Lolita
7:15 Bright Cellars Shoutout
9:22 Lolita as...Aesthetic?
14:28 Lolita as...Disgusting?
23:15 T.O.E Submissions
27:32 Obfuscating Lolita
-
Tags:
Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov, Coquette, Dollette, Nymphet, Aesthetic, Lana Del Rey, Off to the Races, video essay, commentary channel

[seraphina]

One thing I find amazing is the people who claim it is a "romance story" don't seem to realize that Nabokov is 100% on Dolores's side. In face, Nabokov himself is believed to have experienced childhood sexual abuse from a family friend as a young boy.

[zsuxruu]

*Mother, I have arrived.*

Sidenote: I didn't like how mainstream media depicted Dolores being a seductress... She's literally a child...

[starbornes]

i hate how people have turned ‘lolita’ into a sexual thing, it’s disgusting

[toi_techno]

The normalisation of adult male interest in female children is a project that some sections of the male population have a vested interest in propagating.

[hammydown]

What if it’s a brilliant book with an irredeemable monster at the center and the captivating idea of ignorance in society as the foundation? That’s how I always understood it.

[theeighthfile]

I read Lolita at 19 and I loved it. Nabokov is a master at his craft. I think Lolita is so upsetting and uncomfortable because (other than the obvious) it holds a mirror up to the reader and society as a whole, and how normalized the sexualization of young women is - and especially how profitable it is

[DestructionGlitter]

12 year old girls aren't allowed to wear shorts to school in 103 degrees because they might "distract" the male teachers, but a book that exposes this perception for how common and horrifying it is, that's disgusting!

[orphicccmess]

publishers putting sexualized girls on the book cover was the worst decision ever, nabokov just wanted a plain green cover (the channel man carrying thing has a video on this very topic)

[operation_turtle]

people being disgusted by a book and missing the point that youre supposed to be disgusted by the book never fails to surprise me with lolita.

[yessica]

The Lolita podcast is something I cannot recommend enough. It goes into every detail if the book, the adaptations, and actresses deemed lolitas. I think the book's curse is to be misunderstood. It's not a romance as it's often portrayed, and it's not a "disgusting" book like other describe it. I think it's genius how people who read it actually fell for humbert humbert's lies and charms and never look for Dolores in it.

[lildicky]

Say it with me: LOLITA IS NOT A ROMANCE NOVEL!

[ChrisBrooks]

I think people's reaction to banning Lolita does a disservice to the people who read her story and have connected to her. For some of them reading Lolita helps give language and explains what happened to them and what their abuser did to them. Without the ability to recognize and speak to their experiences in the world victims won't able to articulate the harm done to them.
Lolita is important in its almost banality. Humbert is almost painfully average and its through this averageness that his access to Dolores is unquestioned and he's able to harm her.

[RosesforThorns]

the only reason there was pushback about this book is it's the few pieces of media that it exposes the horrors of grooming and child predators instead of normalizing it

[HeatherSchrivener-elmx]

I finally read the book this year and it’s almost like Humbert is grooming the reader as well as Dolores. Like the first ~questionable~ scene of her sitting on his lap made me scream internally but the full-on sex scenes later were just like “yep, that’s happening.”

[tsunaida]

Just a note: I think it’s really important to distinguish between “nymphet fashion, ” aka girls trying to look like a young Dolores Haze, and “lolita fashion.” Lolita fashion began in Harajuku in the 1980s and has NOTHING to do with the book or the sexualization of children. The whole point of lolita fashion is presenting over-the-top femininity without appealing to sexuality or the male gaze. The silhouettes are inspired by Victorian and Rococo fashion.

[katiedeity]

“A good artist comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable.” I think this phrase really describes our polarized views on this novel, where people who have experiences similar to Dolores are comforted by her and reclaim the story; while anyone who hasn’t been hurt in those ways is going to feel disgusted by the book, which they should.

[paingwen]

I'm not shaken by much, especially when reading but Lolita was a horror story encased in sunshine and plaid dresses. The way that some people portray the relationship in a good or sexual light is both terrifying and sickening

[angellane]

As a survivor, Lolita is an extremely important book for us. Dolores was a very relatable character, and I always feel very personally offended and disgusted when she is sexualized.

[artsyhoodies]

How to spot a nuclear red flag:
Ask someone how they view Lolita if they know about it.
If they say romance, do not walk away, *RUN* away.

[mediabreakdown]

As one of those rare male survivors of SA? I was relieved to see this handled with such care. Thank you. ❤. I never realized that the book could help people realize that what was done to them was wrong.