Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0002812, Sat, 7 Feb 1998 11:20:50 -0800

Subject
Humbert invents Lo? (fwd)
Date
Body
From: Donald Barton Johnson <chtodel@humanitas.ucsb.edu>

Chris Grey inquired re the above possibility and Matt Morris directed him
to Leona Toker's proposal that at least the last part of LO (HH's visit to
the pregant Lo and his murder of Quilty, etc.) is a delusion on the part
of HH who has suffered another of his recurrent breakdowns. [Remember HH
has spent several stretches in mental institutions.])

I would like to point out that Leona Toker's proposal (and
its antecedents) have been developed by Alexander Dolinin in his article
"Nabokov's Time Doubling: From THE GIFT to LOLITA" in NABOKOV STUDIES #2
(1995) that elegantly argues the "delusional" position in great detail.
The same journal issue also contains Julian Connoll'sy evaluation of
the critical implications of the "revisionist" view while Brian Boyd
offers a closely reasoned rebuttal of the Dolinin position.

This important set of articles has been overlooked by most "Dolorologists"
who seem to be more preoccupied with frothier topics. Back issues of the
journal issue are available from:

Steve Parker <sjparker@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>, editor of THE NABOKOVIAN,
and/or
Zoran Kuzmanovich <ZOKUZMANOVIC@DAVIDSON.EDU>, editor of NABOKOV
STUDIES.

Contact either for order information.



D. Barton Johnson, Co-editor NABOKV-L
Department of Germanic, Slavic and Semitic Studies
Phelps Hall
University of California at Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Phone and Fax: (805) 687-1825
Home Phone: (805) 682-4618