apparently i'm feeling uppity this morning. i just received the following in my inbox, about some banned books discussion one of the many sils groups is holding:
If you are interested in attending, here’s what you need to do: Read a banned or challenged book. It doesn’t have to be Lolita or anything, King and King is also fine. Read your banned/challenged book, and be prepared to discuss why it was challenged and what you think about those reasons. It might help to do a little outside reading on why the book was challenged, but you don’t have to. If you would like to join our discussion group during Banned Books Week, just find a book you would like to read and go for it. What better way to spend the rest of your summer? You know you need something to read at the beach.*
so what did i do? i immediately wrote back asking why NOT read lolita. i mean, way to enforce the mindset of banning books! "that book is gross so you shouldn't read it!" the whole point is that it's gross--the dude is hardly heroic for his lustful activities. he comes off as creepy and unpleasant. that's one of the reasons it's an interesting book. [i didn't say all of that. i believe my email read, "what's wrong w/ lolita? nabokov is a brilliant writer." i only thought of the other stuff just now.]
i mean, it's not my favorite nabokov, but it doesn't deserve to be called out like that. i think everyone should read lolita.
by the way, here is the ALA's list of the 100 books that were most frequently challenged between 1990 and 2000. I've read 50 of them (but a bunch seem to be kid books that were written after my time and that i've never heard of).
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*i don't mean to offend any of the scala folk who composed this email--i'm sure it was one of those early morning, spur of the moment things, and i know i'm taking it more seriously than necessary, b/c that's just how i am.
ETA: my bad! apparently the author of this email was referring to the length of the books and not their content. i don't remember lolita being that long, but it has been about 8 or 9 years since i've read it.
yeah, i understood that comment as meaning, "not all banned books are as hard to read as lolita." also, it's a student listserv, which always allows for some irreverence.
ReplyDeletespeaking of which, here's a interesting anectdote. remember that thread the other day on the listserv about cci laptops? i replied to the thread saying that "you can get cci laptops at cut-rate prices b/c unc is in bed with ibm." my friend who works at cci replied to me off list and said that his bosses had seen this comment and were annoyed that i used this epithet, "in bed with ibm," because technically ibm is now owned by lenovo and they got their contract fair and square by negotiating a price. both of these things i don't dispute--in fact, when i wrote that email, i was fully aware of them. but i was just trying to make a funny one, as splinter would say, and all of a sudden cci's getting all huffy. why the fuck are they reading the student listserv anyway?
jordon
i guess i just didn't remember lolita as being a hard read or long (again, it's been a long time since i read it), which is why i misinterpreted it.
ReplyDeletewhy the fuck are they reading the student listserv anyway?
why are we writing comments on blogs? they're slacking off at work--duh! :)
i thoguht it was obvious you were joking--wonder why they're so sensitive about it.
You know, when I was reading your post I thought the same thing (that they were dissing Lo for being gross) and didnt' realize they were (possibly) talking about length/difficulty--though you are right, Lolita is neither long (300ish pages) or difficult (it is really fast and funny). So, I don't think it is that strange you had that reaction. I had the same one. There are much longer banned books--Huck Finn, Catch 22--and much harder--As I Lay Dying.
ReplyDeleteoh, i'm glad i'm not the only one who thoguht that!
ReplyDeleteactually, of all the nabokov books i've read (3 or 4, maybe?), i thought lolita was the most straighforward.
of course, i love as i lay dying, so maybe i'm not a good judge of these things.
Well, without getting all "nerdy" (though, if not here, where?) that is what makes "lolita" so great: it is at once completely straight forward and totally obscure. There is so much packed into the language that doesn't appear at first, but only later. The perfect blend. Have you read the stroy "the Vane Sisters?" My favorite story ever.
ReplyDeletewe encourage nerdiness here!!
ReplyDeleteand no, i haven't read that story, but i'll definitely check it out.
speaking of nerdiness: the other night a commercial came on while K and I were watching tv... for a highlighter pen with a POST-IT flag dispenser built right in! We both exclaimed "wow!!!" at the same time. I heart office supplies!
ReplyDelete(MIke)
phil, i would love to come snag books from you, but i'm about to leave on vacation so i don't think i have time to get to durham. :(
ReplyDelete