On The Inequality In Lolita

Nabokov’s Lolita is a most respective and controversial novel in educational circles. Thenovel’s plot is simple, but its moral and ethical themes which it explores, ingenious structure,and uncommon words make the novel difficult to understand. Thus, the work acquiresattention from many learners home and abroad. The foreign countries’ research about Lolitamainly involves its narrative form, style and feature, and interpretation of Lolita from theperspective of psychological analysis and reader response theories. The domestic learnersmainly research Lolita’s moral ethics, artistic style, postmodern narrative skills, etc. There isfew critics who research Lolita from the perspective of Showalter’s “women’s criticism”.This thesis attempts to employ the theory, explore and discuss the inequality in thefictitiousness of Lolita, etc. and the inequality in the tragic life of Lolita and the free life ofHumbert in a patriarchal society in Lolita, which is this thesis’ theme.The thesis has six chapters. Chapter one introduces the life of Vladimir Nabokov and hisnovel Lolita. Chapter two is literature review which comprehensively analyzes and expoundsLolita’s research situation home and abroad. Chapter three is the thesis’ theoretical foundationwhich introduces the development of Elaine Showalter’s feminism theories and the concept ofinequality. Chapter four analyzes the obvious difference in the fictitiousness of Lolita,Charlotte, etc., and expounds the inequality in the fictitiousness of the female characters andthe male ones. Chapter Five analyzes Lolita’s tragic life and Humbert’s free life, andexpounds the inequality in the life of the female and the male in a patriarchal society in Lolita.Chapter six is the conclusion part, further expounds the inequality in the fictitiousness ofLolita, etc. and the inequality in the life of the female and the male in a patriarchal society inLolita, and reveals that the female and the male in a patriarchal society in Lolita are extremelyunequal.