On The Language Games And The Narrative Techniques In Lolita

Since its publication in 1955, Lolita has never ceased to shock. Lolita, Nabokov's special favorite, has been widely translated, deserving both reputation and criticism. Appearing frequently on lists of best twentieth-century works and taught in literature courses almost all over the world, Lolita has been generally recognized as the finest of Nabokov's novels and a classic of contemporary literature. Owing to its marvelous language style and outstanding narrative techniques, in the United Kingdom Lolita has been honored as one of the hundred books which have greatly influenced the world since World War Two.Fueled by the previous critical reception of Nabokov and his Lolita, and based on a meticulous study of the text itself; the thesis plans to render a sensible and systematic, though by no means a comprehensive discussion and exploration of the artistic techniques of Lolita. There are generally contained in the facets of language, and narrative, attempting to better interpret the novel and further consolidate its literary status as a classic of contemporary world literature.This thesis is composed of introduction, main body and conclusion. The main body is divided into two chapters, which will analyze the language games and the narrative techniques in Lolita.Chapter Two focuses on the discussion of Lolita's various language games. Nabokov's English is Nabokovian. Lolita is written in an elegant and lyric English prose style mixed with French, Russian and mutants of Nabokovian English. In Lolita, Nabokov vigorously uses allusions, puns and multilingualism to express the subjectivity, illusion and wordplay of the novel. Lolita is a remarkable work of art and the main reason for its staying power mainly lies in Nabokov's brilliant and delightful prose style which urges readers to re-experience the beauty and intricacy of expression. The language of Lolita disregards the traditional language rules, breaches the limits of narration, and exploits the flexibility and utility of language to the utmost. In Lolita, Nabokov is extremely adept at playing with words and his florid and brilliant verbal art makes all the readers feel so dazzled that they can not help being diverted to the language games of the novel.In addition, Nabokov entirely discards the traditional literature rules, throwing away any traditional technique or pattern. Parody is an oft-adopted technique by Nabokov. The whole structure of the story is in the pattern of a confession. From parody, readers can see Nabokov derive sweet pleasure from his favorite modern technique in literary writing.Chapter Three is designed to probe into the diversified narrative techniques employed in the novel. Most readers of the novel agree that Lolita seems to have a weird magic to lure them to give up their own moral judgment and urge them to wildly seesaw from one emotion to another while reading. Apparently, this queer phenomenon is mainly attributed to Nabokov's adoption of the first-person narrative strategy. Nabokov hands over the narration to Humbert and allows him to unfold the story from his viewpoint, and thereby, a variety of narrative methods induced by or featuring the first-person narrative have been wonderfully applied, such as the omission of Lolita's voice, the interaction of "narrative I" and "experienced I", the confessional mode of narration, the diary and the memoir, the interior monologues. Ostensibly, these narrative methods seem to grant Humbert an advantageous position to exonerate himself from his crime so as to gain readers' compassion, and simultaneously make the story seemingly more reliable. However, it is Nabokov's deliberate design and as a matter of fact, Humbert's control is only apparent; it is Nabokov who ultimately manipulates what Humbert says and does, frequently and implicitly intervening in the text. Like a puppet or a flying kite, Humbert the narrator is in Nabokov's full control. Nabokov, the actual author of the novel, not only exposes Humbert's dark sides and Lolita's sufferings to the reader but also disguises himself as Doctor Ray to express his view on art.In conclusion, Nabokov is really great and Lolita is really a remarkable work of art. In Lolita, it seems that Nabokov does not use language to tell the story of a man who has an obsessive passion for a young girl, but uses such a story to fully express the beauty and power of language And these narrative techniques mean that the traditional narrative levels are completely subverted. Lolita, the enchanting labyrinth of art, is awaiting more and more readers to explore and to fathom.