Effective Use Of Imagery In Lolita By Vladimir Nabokov
How have cover designers of Nabokov's "Lolita" exploited erotic girl imagery and reiterated blameworthiness of the girl as seducer?
Lolita is a novel written by Vladimir Nabokov in 1955, written from the point of view of Humbert, a pedophile who fantasizes a relationship with Lolita, a 13-year-old girl. Humbert treats and manipulates Lolita in a way that forces her to mature too quickly, making her appear older to the audience. Despite the severity of the issue it discusses, the novel has often been romanticized, ignoring the severity of the issue discussed. Some cover designers for Lolita have chosen to portray Lolita as an erotic object, a seducer, ignoring her innocence and naiveté to Humbert's actions. This is particularly evident in the
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The cover is based on Stanley Kubrick's 1962 film adaptation of the novel, making the heart-shaped sunglasses a well-known representation of Lolita. The cover artist uses color, gaze, and symbolism to convey to the reader the idea that Lolita is exposing herself for the male gaze and ignoring her naiveté and innocence.
The use of iconography is seen through the heart-shaped sunglasses and lollipop from the film adaptation. The symbolism of the sunglasses is unclear, but they may have been a gift from Nabokov's wife, Véra. Lolita is seen seductively licking a lollipop while looking above the sunglasses, making her appear seductive to the readers. The prominent use of red expresses feelings of romance rather than conflict, showing that she was the reason for Humbert's obsession and not the other way around, as she was an innocent young girl. Gaze is seen in the cover as Lolita looks directly into the camera, which we can infer represents Humbert. The gaze is seductive, and with the addition of the lollipop she is sucking on, readers feel as if Lolita aims to seduce Humbert into a romantic relationship with her, foreshadowing a romance novel between a young girl and an older man, which is not the case in Nabokov's
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This cover for the novel Lolita uses color, focus, and gaze to portray the blameworthiness of the girl, showing her in a seductive manner, romanticizing Humbert's relationship with her.
The use of imagery is then seen through a complementary color scheme that creates action and tension in the cover. This happens because the colors on the top half are warm while the bottom half is cold, acting as a foreshadowing to the contents of the novel, giving insight into the relationship between Humbert and
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