The Enchanter - Link To Lolita

Link To Lolita

Nabokov himself called The Enchanter his "pre-Lolita". However, one has to be careful in linking the two works. In common is the theme of ephebophilia and the basic strategy - to gain access to the girl, the male marries the mother. However, Lolita diverges significantly from its predecessor. Its main characters are named. Charlotte and Dolores have distinct character developments and views, rather than serving as passive pawns in the ephebophile’s strategy. Dolores is a person in her own right and even acts seductively. The resolution differs considerably. Humbert Humbert is upstaged by a rival and murders him, whereas the protagonist of The Enchanter commits suicide. There is no external rival in The Enchanter. Lolita retains echoes of The Enchanter, such as a death in the street (the mother in this case), and a hotel named the “Enchanted Hunters”. Lolita originated in English. Nabokov referred to Lolita as his love affair with the English language. This comment is ironic in itself, because the conclusion of Lolita is an argument by the imprisoned ephebophile and murderer that his corrupt history is a love affair. The language of Lolita achieves a level of irony and humor considerably more developed than that of the more prosaic The Enchanter.