How to Access Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov in PDF, EPUB, or MOBI Format
Lolita Free Download: How to Read the Controversial Classic Online
Lolita is one of the most famous and controversial novels of the 20th century. It tells the story of a middle-aged man who becomes obsessed with a 12-year-old girl and pursues a sexual relationship with her. The novel has been banned, censored, praised, criticized, adapted, and imitated for decades. But how can you read this classic online for free? In this article, we will explore the following questions:
Lolita Free Download
What is Lolita and why is it controversial?
Why read Lolita online?
How to find a free download of Lolita?
What is the history and reception of Lolita?
What are the themes and style of Lolita?
What are the adaptations and influences of Lolita?
By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of this masterpiece and how to access it online. Let's get started!
Introduction
What is Lolita and why is it controversial?
Lolita is a novel written by Vladimir Nabokov, a Russian-American author who lived from 1899 to 1977. The novel was first published in 1955 in Paris, and later in 1958 in New York. The novel is narrated by Humbert Humbert, a European scholar who moves to America and becomes infatuated with Dolores Haze, a young girl whom he calls "Lolita". Humbert marries her mother, Charlotte, in order to be close to her, but after Charlotte's death, he kidnaps Lolita and travels across the country with her, having a sexual affair with her. Along the way, he is pursued by a mysterious rival, Clare Quilty, who also wants Lolita for himself.
The novel is controversial because it deals with the taboo subject of pedophilia, or sexual attraction to children. Many readers and critics have condemned the novel as immoral, obscene, pornographic, or even pro-pedophilic. Others have defended the novel as a work of art, a satire, a tragedy, or a psychological study. Nabokov himself claimed that he wrote the novel as an aesthetic experiment, not as a moral statement. He said that he was not interested in the social or legal aspects of pedophilia, but only in the artistic challenge of creating a convincing and sympathetic character out of Humbert Humbert.
Why read Lolita online?
Lolita is a novel that deserves to be read by anyone who appreciates literature, language, humor, or psychology. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels of all time, and has influenced many writers and artists in various fields. It is also a novel that challenges the reader's assumptions, emotions, and morals. It makes us question our own views on love, sex, innocence, guilt, beauty, and evil. It forces us to confront the dark and complex aspects of human nature.
Reading Lolita online is a convenient and affordable way to access this masterpiece. You don't have to buy a physical copy of the book, which can be expensive or hard to find. You don't have to worry about censorship or legal issues, which can still affect the availability of the book in some countries. You can read Lolita anytime, anywhere, on any device that has an internet connection. You can also find many online resources that can help you understand and appreciate the novel better, such as summaries, analyses, reviews, essays, podcasts, videos, and more.
How to find a free download of Lolita
There are many websites that offer free downloads of Lolita in various formats, such as PDF, EPUB, MOBI, or TXT. However, not all of these websites are reliable or safe. Some of them may contain viruses, malware, or spam. Some of them may violate the copyright laws of your country or region. Some of them may provide poor quality or incomplete versions of the novel.
To avoid these problems, you should use reputable and legal websites that offer free downloads of Lolita. One of these websites is Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org), which is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works. Project Gutenberg has over 60,000 free ebooks that you can download or read online. Among them is Lolita, which you can find here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54097. You can choose from several formats, such as HTML, EPUB, Kindle, or Plain Text. You can also read the novel online in your browser.
Another website that offers free downloads of Lolita is Open Library (www.openlibrary.org), which is a project of the Internet Archive (www.archive.org), a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, music, and more. Open Library has over 20 million books that you can borrow or download. Among them is Lolita, which you can find here: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL151964W/Lolita. You can borrow the ebook for 14 days or download it in PDF or EPUB format.
These are just two examples of websites that offer free downloads of Lolita. There may be other websites that do the same, but you should be careful and check their credibility and legality before using them. Remember that reading Lolita online is not only a matter of convenience and cost, but also a matter of respect and responsibility.
The History and Reception of Lolita
The author: Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1899. He came from a wealthy and cultured family that spoke several languages and encouraged his literary talent. He studied at Cambridge University in England and became a renowned scholar of Russian literature. He also wrote novels, poems, stories, and essays in Russian under the pen name Vladimir Sirin.
In 1919, after the Russian Revolution, Nabokov and his family fled to Berlin, where he married Vera Slonim in 1925. They had one son, Dmitri, in 1934. In 1937, they moved to Paris, where Nabokov met many famous writers and artists, such as James Joyce and Salvador Dali. In 1940, after the Nazi invasion of France, they escaped to the United States, where Nabokov became a naturalized citizen in 1945.
In America, Nabokov taught literature at various universities, such as Cornell and Harvard. He also started writing novels in English, such as The Real Life of Sebastian Knight (1941), Bend Sinister (1947), and Pnin (1957). His most famous novel in English was Lolita (1955), which made him an international celebrity and a wealthy man.
In 1959, Nabokov moved to Switzerland with his wife and son. He continued writing novels in English and Russian until his death in 1977. Some of his later works include Pale Fire (1962), Ada or Ardor (1969), Transparent Things (1972), Look at the Harlequins! (1974), and The Original of Laura (1977). He also wrote memoirs (Speak, Memory), lectures (Lectures on Literature), translations (Eugene Onegin), and criticism (Strong Opinions).
The publication and censorship of Lolita
He finally found a publisher in France, Olympia Press, which specialized in erotic and avant-garde literature. The novel was published in 1955 in Paris, under the pseudonym Vladimir Nabokov-Sirin. The first edition had a plain green cover and was mistakenly labeled as a pornographic book. It sold poorly and received little attention.
However, in 1958, the novel was published in the United States by G.P. Putnam's Sons, with Nabokov's real name on the cover. It became an instant bestseller and a sensation. It was praised by many critics and writers, such as Graham Greene, Lionel Trilling, John Updike, and Edmund Wilson. It was also denounced by many moralists and conservatives, who called it obscene, depraved, corrupting, or sick. It was banned or restricted in several countries and states, such as France, England, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Indiana.
The controversy over Lolita lasted for years and generated a lot of publicity and debate. It also attracted the attention of the FBI, which investigated Nabokov and his publisher for possible violations of the federal obscenity laws. However, no charges were filed and the novel was eventually cleared of any legal issues.
The critical and popular response to Lolita
Lolita is widely considered as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century and one of the most influential works of modern literature. It has been praised for its artistic merit, its linguistic innovation, its psychological depth, its moral complexity, its social satire, its cultural commentary, and its aesthetic beauty. It has also been criticized for its ethical ambiguity, its sexual perversion, its emotional manipulation, its cultural appropriation, and its aesthetic ugliness.
Lolita has been interpreted in many different ways by different readers and critics. Some have seen it as a love story, a tragedy, a comedy, a horror story, a parody, a confession, a fantasy, a nightmare, or a combination of these genres. Some have focused on the themes of obsession, desire, guilt, violence, identity, art, or power. Some have analyzed the characters of Humbert Humbert and Lolita as complex and realistic individuals or as symbolic and mythical figures. Some have explored the historical and cultural context of the novel or its relation to other works of literature or art.
Lolita has also been enjoyed by millions of readers around the world who have been fascinated by its story and style. It has been translated into more than 50 languages and has sold more than 50 million copies. It has inspired many adaptations and influences in various media and genres. It has become part of the popular culture and the collective imagination.
The Themes and Style of Lolita
The unreliable narrator: Humbert Humbert
One of the most distinctive features of Lolita is its narrator: Humbert Humbert. He is the protagonist and the antagonist of the novel. He is the lover and the abuser of Lolita. He is the author and the subject of his own memoir. He is also an unreliable narrator who manipulates the truth and deceives the reader.
Humbert Humbert is not his real name but a pseudonym he chooses to hide his identity and to create a literary effect. He is a self-proclaimed "murderer" who kills Clare Quilty at the end of the novel. He is also a self-proclaimed "gentleman" who claims to love Lolita with passion and tenderness. He is a sophisticated scholar who writes eloquently and eruditely about his life and his love. He is also a deluded pedophile who rationalizes his crimes and his lust.
Humbert Humbert tries to persuade the reader to sympathize with him and to share his perspective. He appeals to the reader's emotions by expressing his remorse, his suffering, his humor, his charm, or his wit. He appeals to the reader's intellect by providing his arguments, his evidence, his references, his explanations, or his confessions. He appeals to the reader's imagination by creating a vivid and colorful world with his language and imagery.
However, Humbert Humbert also lies to the reader and to himself. He omits, distorts, or invents facts and events to suit his agenda and his ego. He exaggerates, understates, or contradicts his feelings and actions to justify his behavior and his motives. He mocks, flatters, or insults the reader to manipulate his or her reaction and opinion.
The reader must be careful and critical when reading Humbert Humbert's narrative. The reader must question and challenge his reliability and credibility. The reader must look for clues and gaps in his story that reveal his deception and self-deception. The reader must also consider other sources and perspectives that contradict or complement his version of the truth.
The nymphet: Dolores Haze
The other main character of Lolita is Dolores Haze, or Lolita, as Humbert Humbert calls her. She is the object of his obsession and the subject of his memoir. She is also an elusive and mysterious figure who escapes his control and his understanding.
Lolita is not her real name but a nickname he invents to express his fantasy and to create a literary effect. She is a 12-year-old girl who lives in Ramsdale, a small town in New England. She is the daughter of Charlotte Haze, a widow who marries Humbert Humbert. She is also the lover of Humbert Humbert, who kidnaps her and travels with her across America. She is also the lover of Clare Quilty, who rescues her and takes her away from Humbert Humbert.
Lolita is described by Humbert Humbert as a "nymphet", a term he uses to define a type of young girl who has a special and irresistible charm for him. He claims that she is not a normal child but a rare and magical creature who seduces him and bewitches him. He portrays her as a beautiful, lively, playful, witty, and sensual being who shares his passion and his adventure. He also portrays her as a cruel, spoiled, vulgar, stupid, and ungrateful being who betrays him and hurts him.
However, Lolita is also more than what Humbert Humbert makes her to be. She is a real child who suffers from his abuse and his manipulation. She is a complex and realistic individual who has her own personality, feelings, thoughts, and dreams. She is a rebellious and resilient survivor who tries to escape from him and to find her own happiness.
The reader must be careful and critical when reading Humbert Humbert's description of Lolita. The reader must question and challenge his objectification and idealization of her. The reader must look for clues and gaps in his story that reveal her reality and her agency. The reader must also consider other sources and perspectives that contradict or complement his version of her.
The satire and irony of Lolita
One of the most prominent themes of Lolita is satire and irony. The novel is a satire of various aspects of American society and culture in the 1950s. It is also an irony of various aspects of literary tradition and convention.
The novel satirizes the American way of life, especially its materialism, consumerism, conformism, superficiality, vulgarity, and hypocrisy. It exposes the contrast between the American dream and the American reality, between the ideal and the actual, between the appearance and the essence. It mocks the American values, institutions, customs, habits, tastes, and fashions. It ridicules the American landscape, architecture, art, literature, music, film, television, advertising, education, religion, politics, and law.
The novel also ironizes the literary genre of the novel itself, especially its conventions, expectations, and limitations. It subverts the traditional elements of plot, character, setting, theme, style, and tone. It plays with the boundaries between fiction and reality, between art and life, between author and narrator, between narrator and character, between character and reader. It challenges the notions of originality, authenticity, meaning, value, and morality. It questions the role and responsibility of the writer, the reader, and the critic.
The novel uses various techniques of satire and irony to create its effect. It uses humor, wit, parody, allusion, metaphor, symbolism, allegory, hyperbole, understatement, ambiguity, contradiction, incongruity, and reversal. It uses multiple levels of narration, perspective, interpretation, evaluation, and implication. It uses a complex and sophisticated language that combines elegance and vulgarity, poetry and prose, formality and colloquialism, clarity and obscurity.
in interpreting and evaluating its meaning and value. The reader must be open and flexible to its ambiguity and complexity. The reader must also be critical and ethical in its moral and social implications.
The language and imagery of Lolita
One of the most remarkable features of Lolita is its language and imagery. The novel is a masterpiece of linguistic artistry and creativity. It is also a showcase of literary and cultural diversity and richness.
The novel uses a variety of languages and dialects to create its effect. It uses English as the main language, but also incorporates words and phrases from other languages, such as French, German, Spanish, Italian, Latin, Greek, Russian, and more. It uses different registers and styles of English, such as formal and informal, literary and colloquial, academic and slang, poetic and prosaic, archaic and modern. It uses different accents and pronunciations of English, such as British and American, European and American, regional and standard.
The novel also uses a variety of literary and cultural references to create its effect. It uses allusions and quotations from various sources, such as classical and modern literature, poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, drama and comedy, romance and tragedy. It uses references to various authors, works, characters, themes, motifs, and genres. It uses references to various fields of knowledge, such as history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, anthropology, biology, physics, mathematics, and more. It uses references to various forms of art, such as painting, sculpture, music, film, theatre, dance, and more.
The novel creates a rich and vivid imagery with its language. It uses metaphors, similes, personifications, synecdoches, metonymies, oxymorons, paradoxes, and more. It uses sensory details that appeal to the sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. It uses colors, shapes, sizes, textures, temperatures, and more. It uses contrasts, comparisons, associations, dissociations, and more.
The novel invites the reader to enjoy and appreciate its language and imagery. The reader must be curious and attentive to its diversity and richness. knowledgeable and attentive to its references and allusions. The reader must be sensitive and attentive to its imagery and symbolism. The reader must also be creative and attentive to its effect and purpose.
The Adaptations and Influences of Lolita
The film versions of Lolita
Lolita has been adapted into two major film versions, both of which have their own merits and flaws. The first one was directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, starring James Mason as Humbert Humbert, Sue Lyon as Lolita, Shelley Winters as Charlotte Haze, and Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty. The second one was directed by Adrian Lyne in 1997, starring Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert, Dominique Swain as Lolita, Melanie Griffith as Charlotte Haze, and Frank Langella as Clare Quilty.
The Kubrick version is more faithful to the plot and the tone of the novel, but less faithful to the character and the style of the novel. It follows the main events and scenes of the novel, but omits or changes some details and episodes. It captures the humor and the satire of the novel, but loses some of the tragedy and the irony of the novel. It portrays Humbert Humbert as a comic and pathetic figure, but not as a complex and sympathetic figure. It portrays Lolita as a flirtatious and manipulative teenager, but not as a realistic and vulnerable child. It uses a witty and clever dialogue, but not a poetic and beautiful language.
The Lyne version is more faithful to the character and the style of the novel, but less faithful to the plot and the tone of the novel. It follows the main characters and their emotions, but omits or changes some events and scenes. It captures the tragedy and the irony of the novel, but loses some of the humor and the satire of the novel. It portrays Humbert Humbert as a complex and sympathetic figure, but not as a comic and pathetic figure. It portrays Lolita as a realistic and vulnerable child, but not as a flirtatious and manipulative teenager. It uses a poetic and beautiful language, but not a witty and clever dialogue.
Both film versions have been praised and criticized by critics and audiences for different reasons. Some have preferred one v