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- The novel is narrated by Humbert, providing a complex and unreliable perspective that challenges readers to confront the morally reprehensible nature of his actions. Set against the post-World War II American landscape, Lolita explores themes of language, alienation, and the consequences of unchecked desire.
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Lolita Full Book Summary. In the novel’s foreword, the fictional John Ray, Jr., Ph.D., explains the strange story that will follow. According to Ray, he received the manuscript, entitled Lolita, or the Confession of a White Widowed Male, from the author’s lawyer.
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Quick Quiz - Lolita: Full Book Summary | SparkNotes
- Character List
Lolita’s husband. Dick is a simple, good-natured working man...
- Vladimir Nabokov and Lolita Background
Lolita also represents a classic example of postmodern...
- Motifs
Lolita eventually leaves Humbert for Quilty, but her new...
- Symbols
A summary of Symbols in Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita....
- Suggested Essay Topics
Suggested Essay Topics - Lolita: Full Book Summary |...
- Context
Context - Lolita: Full Book Summary | SparkNotes
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- Foreword
- Humbert’s Early Life
- Humbert Meets Lolita
- Charlotte’s Marriage and Death
- Humbert and Lolita’s Road Life
- Lolita Escapes
- Quilty’s Murder and End
The novel Lolitabegins with a foreword from a fictional psychologist, John Ray, who introduces the strange story that will follow. John Ray had received Humbert Humbert’s manuscript from his lawyer after Humbert had succumbed to coronary thrombosis while awaiting trial for an unidentified crime. We also learn that a certain Mrs. Schiller later reve...
The story begins with Humbert’s poetic reminisces of his love and lust for Lolita whom he describes as “My Lolita” and “Fire of my lungs”. Humbert’s introduction is put aside for narration of events leading up to his time with Lolita. We are taken to his childhood in the French Riviera and the love affair with his friend, Annabel Leigh, when he was...
In 1947, Humbert Humbert moved to New England where he was supposed to take up residence in the small town of Ramsdale with a family called the McCoos. The prospect of living near the young daughter of the Mccoos excited him considerably, but he was disappointed with the news that the Mccoo’s house had burned down. Mr. McCoo then refers him to Char...
Charlotte however appears to fall in love with Humbert, but her desire to spend time alone with him is obstructed by Lolita’s meddling presence. She sought to remove Lolita from the picture by enrolling her at a boarding school. One day when Charlotte was away from the house with Lolita, the maid brings Humbert a note from Charlotte where she decla...
The second part of the book is notable for its faster pace and sense of urgency. When Humbert and Lolita resumed their journeys on the road Lolita’s behavior becomes more erratic and she threatens to call her mother or the police and tell them everything Humbert had done to her. Here Humbert finally reveals Charlotte’s death, letting Lolita know sh...
However, as they travel, Humbert notices that a man in a red car is following them. He is concerned when he observes that Lolita has been in constant communication with this individual. Humbert fears that Lolita might be trying to escape, although he finally convinced himself that he was just being paranoid. Lolita fell ill when they were in the to...
A heartbroken Humbert then drives away, driven by his obsession to exact vengeance on Quilty. But first, he returns to Ramsdale to facilitate the transfer of Charlotte’s properties in his possession to Lolita. While on the search for Quilty, Humbert experiences a moment of self-reflection where he acknowledges the damage his terrible and selfish be...
Leaving Pavor Manor, Humbert drives on the wrong side of the highway until he is stopped by the police. He swerves the car to the top of the hill, then waits for arrest. Get all the key plot points of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita on one page. From the creators of SparkNotes.
Lolita is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov that addresses the controversial subject of hebephilia. The protagonist is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert.
- Vladimir Nabokov
- 1955
The best study guide to Lolita on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need.
Lolita. Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1955. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. Download PDF. Access Full Guide. Study Guide.
From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes Lolita Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.
