Read chapters 4 & 5 of The Art of Play (in the packet).
- Do you know where your children are? Lolita is up to something and Humbert doesn't know what she's up to. Make a catalog of the signs that she is doing something behind her stepfather's back. To win, you must find at least seven.
- Where the bodies are buried. Are there more dead people than living in this story? It appears to be haunted by ghosts. We know from the Foreword that "no ghosts walk" (what does this mean in relation to the story)? Name at least ten dead persons who play a role in the story and indicate how we know they are dead.
- Déjà vu all over again. Sure, Humbert has a double. And Lolita had a precursor. But, wait, she had a precursor in two senses. And Humbert, in the Haze family, had a precursor. Humbert and Lolita, as a nontraditional couple, had a precursor couple. And Charlotte, as Humbert's wife, had a precursor. Charlotte's precursor's lover had a lover and their adventures resemble those of Humbert and Lolita. Humbert has two precursors and two successors as Lolita's lover. Quilty has a companion. Even Charlotte's maid has a counterpart. Humbert and Annabelle were "coevals" when they had their precocious affair, but similar child-lovers reappear throughout the book: find some. Gaston Godin is an opposite of Humbert Humbert: how? Describe the opposition between the similarly-named Charlie and Charlotte - both rivals of Humbert for ownership of Lolita. And so on. Find ten examples of how everyone is a different version of everyone else in Lolita.
- "This is royal fun." Nabokov thought the name Humbert had a royal sound, and Humbert often refers to himself with a kingly cognomen. He and Annabelle spent their brief time together in a "kingdom by the sea." And monarchical language is everywhere. Lolita is often called a "princess" in a positive and negative sense. Find seven distinct ways that Nabokov refers to kings, courts, monarchy - and descendancy.
- Enchanted hunting dogs. Nabokov once gave a lecture on the "equine theme" in Madame Bovary. Who or what is doglike in Lolita. Between dog and butterfly the dogs actually win (although butterflies and moths abound). Not only are there a lot of dogs or people that act like dogs - canine coincidence occurs at key crossroads in the book. Find seven examples to win.
- Gaming the fiction: this can only be answered after the discussion of games on Tuesday 10/8 - i.e. for Thursday: While the novel itself may be seen as a game, various events in the novel are games in themselves: Lolita's "kissing game"; Humbert and Charlotte's marital game ("every game has its rules"); the "game" of avoiding the law and maintaining Lolita's compliance during their year-long drive through America; the proposed game of Russian Roulette with a revolver (later in the story)... In each case, how does the event have the characteristics of a game discussed in class?
- Bonus questions: Who wrote The Enchanted Hunters? What was the indecent story about Ivor Quilty's nephew Jean Farlow wanted to recount? Why is it necessary for Jean to interrupt John when complains about the Italians and adds "at least we are spared the..."? After Jean's death from cancer, John outdoes Humbert in a sense - how? Humbert says you cannot design the perfect murder because you will leave signs. This seems surprising, given his belief in his own cleverness. But Humbert's murder of Charlotte by drowning was bound to fail - why? Originally Lolita is interested in boys her own age - the "Charlies" - that seem to be everywhere; however, Humbert learns from two sources that she lacks a normal interest in her coevals. Why does she change? As Humbert and Lolita travel around, Humbert sometimes addresses not "the jury" but specific people, living or dead. One of these is Clarence, his lawyer. Who are some others? Humbert's account of America refers to many recognizable aspects of the US - such as roadside attractions - but few real people? To what group do the real people belong? Are there any exceptions to this?
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