Related Literary Works to Lolita
Literary Predecessors and Influences
Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee"
Nabokov directly references this poem throughout Lolita, particularly in Humbert's backstory about his childhood love, Annabel Leigh.
ExampleThe parallel is explicit in the opening chapters:
"Did she have a precursor? She did, indeed she did. In point of fact, there might have been no Lolita at all had I not loved, one summer, a certain initial girl-child."Note
The theme of lost childhood love and obsession in "Annabel Lee" serves as a template for Humbert's narrative justification of his desires.
James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"
The novel shares similarities in its exploration of:
- Artistic consciousness
- Sexual awakening
- Complex prose style
- Use of wordplay and linguistic virtuosity
Contemporary Literary Connections
"The Collector" by John Fowles
Published shortly after Lolita, this novel shares themes of:
- Obsessive desire
- Captivity
- Unreliable narration
- The objectification of young women
Pay attention to how both novels use sophisticated narrators who attempt to justify their actions through cultural and literary references.
"Pale Fire" by Vladimir Nabokov
While written after Lolita, this novel shares important characteristics:
- Complex narrative structures
- Unreliable narration
- Literary allusions
- Themes of obsession and delusion
