Product Description

Lolita has courted controversy since its publication in Paris in September 1955. Vladimir Nabokov's most famous novel was published by Olympia Press under the imprint of the Travellers Companion series, notorious for its sexually explicit subjects. More than fifty years on, Lolita continues to challenge readers and critics alike with difficult questions about the relationship between formal aesthetics and sexual content, the boundaries between literature and pornography.

In this Readers' Guide, Christine Clegg examines the critical history of Lolita through a broad range of interpretations. Although early criticism of the text polarised around 'that' question - is it literature or is it pornography? - the influence of American critics such as Lionel Trilling quickly secured canonical status for the novel. A compelling aspect of Lolita criticism is the way in which that question continues to return in different forms. In the 1980s and 1990s, Lolita has been the subject of diverse critical attention, beyond 'Nabokov Studies': from Richard Rorty's philosophical inquiry into the ethics of cruelty, to Rachel Bowlby's feminist analysis of the rhetoric of consumer culture in the novel. All of the main critical approaches to the novel are covered by this indispensable sourcebook.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #279819 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Review
'I continue to find the Readers' Guides indispensable for teaching - they really give the students a sense of criticism having a history' - Professor Rachel Bowlby, University of York

'The series looks really excellent - attractively produced, user friendly; and outstanding value for money' - Ronald Knowles, Reader, University of Reading

About the Author
CHRISTINE CLEGG is a lecturer in Cultural Studies and English Literature at the University of East London.

Customer Reviews

A great work brought down by humourless critics.
A compendium of dry analyses by tedious sociologists, feminists, etc. Strangely dated in a way that 'Lolita' itself will never be.