ENGL 291: The American Novel Since 1945
Lecture 05 - Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita. Professor Amy Hungerford introduces the first of three lectures on Nabokov's Lolita by surveying students' reactions to the novel, highlighting the conflicting emotions readers feel, enjoying Nabokov's virtuosic style, but being repelled by the violence of his subject matter. Nabokov's childhood in tsarist Russia provides some foundation for his interest in memory, imagination, and language. Finally, Professor Hungerford shows how Nabokov, through the voice of his protagonist Humbert, in his own voice in the epilogue, and in the voice of "John Ray, Jr." in the foreword, preempts moral judgments in a novel that celebrates the power of the imagination and the seductive thrill of language. (from oyc.yale.edu)
Lecture 05 - Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita |
Time | Lecture Chapters |
[00:00:00] | 1. Lolita: Initial Student Responses |
[00:09:49] | 2. Historical Context: A Brief Biography of Nabokov |
[00:15:33] | 3. Blurring Narrative Layers: Locating the Author in John Ray Jr.'s Forward |
[00:23:49] | 4. Seduction and Cliche |
[00:34:22] | 5. Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee" |
[00:45:54] | 6. Morality and Manipulation |
References |
Lecture 5 - Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita Instructor: Professor Amy Hungerford. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov]. |
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