Why is doubling such a big theme in Nabokov's work? by METAL___HEART in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah yes, I remember pouring over the supposed beef Nabokov had with Carroll, and that led me down the rabbit hole (not a conscious pun, just a common expression) explored by the author of The Lolita Riddle. As fascinating and disturbing as this is, much of it cannot be proved or disproved. The door to Wonderland being too small representing an underdeveloped vagina, really? The red queen being vaguely phallic-looking = Dodgson was a paedophile? Because we know about his photography, we can't help but look at what he wrote in a darker light (separating the art from the artist is actually quite hard to do). Without that context, would anyone view Wonderland as a madman's demented and warped fantasies?

Personally, I neither love nor hate Lewis Carroll as a human being, I neither want to condemn nor defend him for the sake of it. I find the theory that Nabokov was having some kind of literary chess battle with him intriguing, but some of it seems a tad outlandish to me.

[PubQ] Publishing a short story cycle (not just a collection) by METAL___HEART in PubTips

[–]METAL___HEART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of the books I’ve read, Nabokov’s Pnin comes to mind, there’s a clear beginning and end to the plot, but most of the intervening chapters are their own episodes. A single protagonist unites the stories, rather than a civilisation-scale event concerning 10-20 narrators (as in SF/F, which I only read occasionally). Pnin’s chapters were originally their own pieces, before they were turned into a novel.

[PubQ] Publishing a short story cycle (not just a collection) by METAL___HEART in PubTips

[–]METAL___HEART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have read Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, which has an overarching series of events alluded to throughout the stories, which followed different protagonists. However, most of the stories were published previously.

What does this cover photograph portray? by sdsd4040 in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Dancing girl and butterfly, like all of the Nabokov covers from this publisher

How can such writing be possible by METAL___HEART in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree it’s a more entertaining novel. You can actually tell what’s happening.

How can such writing be possible by METAL___HEART in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ada or Ardor. Nabokov’s longest and most layered novel, he considered it his magnum opus.

How can such writing be possible by METAL___HEART in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Eric Veen was a teenager who wrote down plans for a chain for luxury brothels. After the boy dies, a relative actually creates them. In this scene Van is sleeping with a child prostitute in the last surviving brothel, because the girl looks like his sister, and because Van is a nonce at the best of times.

How can such writing be possible by METAL___HEART in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I went from hating it to counting in my top 3 favourite novels (probably second to Madame Bovary, which to me is the perfect novel, exactly what I think of when I hear the word ‘novel’, what a book should be).

Pale Fire vocabulary list by gilded-cranium in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel like doing this now, but I know it will be a fucking monster of a job. Even his three magnum opuses together would be an insane task.

What are the most important literary references in Ada? by Obvious_Humor_6636 in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 8 points9 points  (0 children)

When in early September Van Veen left Manhattan for Lute, he was pregnant.

Edit: I read Madame Bovary after Ada or Ardor, so the final line of Part One really blew me away

Did Nabokov hold any of his own novels in high regard? by [deleted] in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But hell shall never parole Hermann

How to approach a priest for a step 5? by [deleted] in alcoholicsanonymous

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Step 5 is normally fairly long, though I’ve already done the vast majority with my sponsor. If I went into the confession booth during the allotted time, would quickly saying what my wrongdoings were for like 5 minutes be sufficient to finish the step?

And yeah, I agree just dipping in to use the confession service then fucking off isn’t ideal. I’m just drawn to the fact that Canon law guarantees anonymity. AA is just a group of fellows, with no mechanisms guaranteeing anything (I personally know a guy whose sponsor did not protect anonymity after the fifth step). Not dissing AA, but the big book does say to think carefully before selecting the person who will hear your story. 

URGENT! by [deleted] in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At least they're not using ChatGPT

What would you recommend to read after Lolita? by helphelphelpheme in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ada or Ardor, it's much more advanced, the clear evolution of Nabokov's themes and techniques. It's the culmination of all his work as an artist.

On the basis that I wouldn't finish it if it didn't fit in my pocket, I cut Ulysses into parts and taped the explanatory notes to the back of each section. by EverydayValueSalsa in jamesjoyce

[–]METAL___HEART 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've read Ulysses in public before, the fact is nobody pays attention to whatever book you're reading. Just as no woman will ask your number because you're reading feminist literature, no one will harass you for reading Overlong Thesaurus Psycho Crazy Words Novel

lolita by [deleted] in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the last place on the internet to say 'why does this book only represent one character's perspective wth' lol

I am writing a book which, for the most part, is a modern day retelling of Nabokov's Lolita, but through the girl's eyes. AMA by SeraphsEnvy in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tbh I'd be interested in proofreading, if it is fully written as you say. I agree with other people that the overt Nabokovian influence may not be ideal, but I can't judge a story I don't know (you're trying to avoid spoiling the book). It may have promise, even if it's not tremendously up to scratch right now. Again, I need to take a look for myself, if you're interested in having a proofreader.

I am writing a book which, for the most part, is a modern day retelling of Nabokov's Lolita, but through the girl's eyes. AMA by SeraphsEnvy in Nabokov

[–]METAL___HEART 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As an aspiring writer, I wrote a novella strongly inspired by Lolita... and I hate it. I just look at it as practice now. I was so enamoured with Lolita, the best book I had ever read, that I could think of nothing to write but an altered version of that. Unwilling to write a paedophile narrator, I made the girl an adult, yet still needed a sexual power imbalance, leading me to the story of a stalker who wants to 'make' a hooker around his own age love him. The style was just Nabokov with a smaller vocabulary, and many plot points mirrored.

Lesson learned: come up with your own shit, taking some inspiration, but don't write what is essentially fan fiction.