I recently read Lolita and was really conflicted as to whether I liked it or not. In one sense it was an uncomfortable read but I found I couldn’t put it down. I see a lot of people saying that they hate it because Humbert is such a monster but surely that’s the point? Nabokov makes it such an uncomfortable read through putting it in first person; we are meant to slightly sympathise with Humbert (because of his unreliable narration) and then feel disgusted with ourselves. Combined with the ‘American Dream’/Academia/Psychological Thriller aesthetic it’s almost as much a mockery of society and its romanticisation of crime as The Secret History. This is even proven by Lolita’s resurgence in popular aesthetics and romanticisation.
To me, the biggest strength of the book and Nabakovs writing is how unlikeable he makes Humbert.
Its like when an actor plays a terrible person so well that people end up disliking the actor in real life.
So when i see people saying they dont like it because theyre “disgusted by Humbert” i think thats a testament to how well written it is.
I think the bigger magic trick is when the reader finds themselves identifying with Humbert, laughing at his jokes or sympathizing, because it’s so jarring to see and *feel *the humanity in such a monstrous person. And this is the reason I think so many people viscerally dislike the book. They don’t want to relate to him, they hate that common thread of humanity and seeing how fine a line separates us.