Why Lolita?

I chose the novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov for my paper because I was curious as to how a book about such an unusual and even disgusting topic (an adult male's romantic fascination with a young girl) could be lauded as such a well-written and noteworthy literary achievement. I am currently nearly halfway through the book, and although reading it is not always the most comfortable experience, I must say that it does capture my attention and persuade me to read on and wonder about the fate of the unapologetically abnormal narrator, Humbert Humbert.

In my paper, I plan to focus on how the author is able to write about such an objectionable topic without turning off the literary public. The narrator has a very distinctive voice and thought process throughout the novel that allows the reader to at least partially understand the narrator's motives if not to empathize with him. There are even unexpected glimpses of humor in the novel that aid in distracting the reader from the unappealing parts of the narrator's mind. I will further explore this as I read the novel, and I anticipate seeing how the reader is supposed to view Humbert Humbert at the end of the novel.