Chelsa Lauderdale
Intro to Writing and Literature
11/18/10
Intro to Writing and Literature
11/18/10
Foreign Language Use in Lolita
The Annotated Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov is in English but is constantly sprinkled with words and phrases in many different languages, mostly French. In class we determined that Nabokov’s use of languages gets confused and complicated in passages where he is filled with extreme emotion. However these aren’t the only places where the different languages are used. They are used all throughout the book. Through my readings I’ve concluded that he uses foreign languages in some sections way more heavily than in other sections and sometimes not at all and I’ve been trying to deduce the reasoning behind it.
My conclusion is that the passages where he uses other languages, especially French, are the passages in which females are more heavily involved. In Chapter six for example, the chapter where the narrator meets the young prostitute girl Monique there a lot of French words and phrases. It doesn’t necessarily have to do with the girl speaking French because Nobokov could have just as easily translated that into English in context instead of just including the English translation in the back of the book. This connection between the girls in his life and the use of French could have something to do with the beauty of the French language and the way that the narrator describes the girls. French is known to be one of the most beautiful or romantic languages in the world and so he could be using this to intensify or perhaps just increase the description of the girls that are speaking or of whom he is speaking about. Towards the end of that same chapter when the narrator is faced with a situation where the girl that the Madame was trying to set him up with him turned out to be an ordinary girl and not a “nymphet” there is a decrease in French used from one French word or phrase a sentence to just one or two in those last couple of paragraphs. In the next chapter when he decides that he should marry someone and choses the Polish doctor’s daughter, there is some French words and phrases, as, according to my theory, there is a woman involved in the passages but not as many as when he was talking about Monique the childish prostitute.
In chapter nine however, when the narrator travels to arctic Canada with the research team there is no French or any other language. In that section of the text though, there is no females, he hardly even mentions them and thus there is no foreign languages.
There could be a number of other reasons though for this change in languages. For instance, perhaps the usage of French lessens later on because in chapter nine the narrator moves to America and perhaps due to that he loses some of his need to speak French. I personally think my theory is much more interesting than that though.
Really great focus here, Chelsa. This is exactly the kind of thing I want you to be focusing on. Pick one element and explore possible explanations for it. Your attention to detail is very solid here, plus you allow for other interpretations.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I think you need to step back and look at the big picture of why Nabokov (and maybe more importantly, HH)would employ these diversions into French for the overall purposes of their narratives.
1) Although you sort of mention this, HH is in France during the first parts of the book, so of course they would speak french. Remember, Nabokov didn't supply the translations at the back of our book; the editor of this edition did.
2) I completely agree with your assessment that HH's use of French seems to have something to do with women. In the US, HH's "Old world European charm" makes women practically throw themselves at him (if we are to believe his account). Similarly, HH is trying to seduce the reader. We, too, fall for his European charm. So, does he use French to impress us? To show us how romantic he is? How worldly?
3) I also find it interesting that Charlotte Haze consistently butchers French and HH is constantly drawing our attention to her idiocy.
Doesn't it seem that HH uses the French language as a kind of social currency? Handing it out when he wants to impress stupid Americans, making fun of other people's affected usage of it, and romanticizing his propositioning underage prostitutes?
Why do you think Nabokov does this?
So like I said, really great focus, and you've really caught on to something seriously interesting here, but you need to keep pushing your interpretation to better understanding of why the thing occurs. Don't give up so soon!
overall, good work=8
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