Lolita is one of our finest American novels, a triumph of style and vision, an unforgettable work, Nabokov's best (though not most characteristic) work, a wedding of Swiftian satirical vigor with the kind of minute, loving patience that belongs to a man infatuated with the visual mysteries of the world.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author praises a novel for its style and vision, noting its satirical vigor and visual patience.
- In plain terms
- This book is a great style triumph and satirical work.
- What can you take from it?
- Literary praise often focuses on style and thematic balance.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What makes a novel unforgettable?
- How does style impact meaning?
Another view
Subjective acclaim may not match critical consensus or reader taste.
More from Vladimir Nabokov
The political barbarism of the century made him an exile, a wanderer, a Hotelmensch, not only from his Russian homeland but from the matchless Russian tongue i…
Permalink to quote #28 All of Nabokov's books are about tyranny, even Lolita. Perhaps Lolita most of all.
Permalink to quote #30 Lolita is pornography, and we do not plan to review it.
Permalink to quote #27
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