60 pages 2 hours read

Lolita

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1955

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Summary and Study Guide

Overview

Lolita, a novel by Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov, was published in 1955 in Paris. American publishing companies refused to publish the novel due to its scandalous plot, but the book was considered a classic almost instantly. In 1967, the novel was finally published in America and, since then, Lolita has appeared on several lists of the greatest English-language and American novels of all time. The novel blends genres, offering readers elements of romance, erotica, and mystery, and offers an unreliable first-person narrator in Humbert Humbert. Lolita has been made into two films, one directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962 and another by Adrian Lyne in 1997. Additionally, several stage plays, ballets, and operas have also been based on the work. The novel’s reach even extends to the English language itself. Today, the term “lolita” is widely used to refer to a sexually precocious girl who is not a victim but a seductress, and it also is used to refer to a style of dress that emphasizes doll-like clothing that romanticizes girlhood. This guide uses the 50th anniversary edition of Lolita by Vintage.

Plot Summary

Lolita is prefaced by the fictional John Ray, Jr., who is an editor of books about psychology.

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