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Humbert Humbert in 2008

#55: Oct. - Nov. 2008 (Fiction)
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Raving Lunatic
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Humbert Humbert in 2008

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If Humbert was a real person in today's society, would he have been arrested and labeled as a sexual predator in today's society>
If you obey all of the rules, you miss all of the fun.
--Katherine Hepburn
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Grim

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When in fact most true sexual predations go unreported. Having seen only the original movie I would say even seeming pedophilic unions can be consensual and perhaps contain components of what you could consider a "modern" definition of "love."
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Ophelia

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Raving wrote:
If Humbert was a real person in today's society, would he have been arrested and labeled as a sexual predator in today's society?
Yes, of course he would, provided the law found out about the relationship, since sexual abuse within the family is usually not reported.

The vast majority of incest cases involve the mother's husband or boyfriend, and I really don't believe that a twelve-year-old saying this was consensual sex, especially in that scenario, would have much effect with a jury.

Moreover, Humbert used threats to make Lolita comply:

Part 2, chapter 1:
Finally what happens to you, a minor, accused of having impaired the morals of an adult in a respectable inn*, what happens if you complain to the police of my having kidnapped and raped you? Let us suppose they believe you. (...) So I go to jail. But what happens to you, my orphan? Well, you are luckier. You become the ward of the Department of Public Welfare-- which I am afraid sounds a little bleak.
[There follows a list including: "the correctional school", "the reformatory" "the juvenile detention home".]
Don't you think that under the circumstances Dolores Haze had better stick to her old man? (...)
By rubbing all this in, I succeeded in terrorizing Lo.
* This of course sounds like complete rubbish.

The rest would make a very strong case against him if it was repeated.
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Lawrence

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newsweek

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There is an article on Lolita's 50th anniversary by Gates in the October 11 Newsweek. I found it very interesting. I don't know how to hypertext to it. L
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Thanks Lawrence.
Here is the link.
www.newsweek.com/id/163440
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Very interesting
If you obey all of the rules, you miss all of the fun.
--Katherine Hepburn
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Grim

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Am I to understand the the character Lolita represents a 12-year old girl? I would tend to imagine closer to 16 or 17.
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Yes- the actress in Kubrick' film looks 16 or 17, , but Humbert makes it clear throughout the book that his obsession is for a 12-year-old nymphet, and that's Dolores's age when she mets him.
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Grim

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That's just wrong.
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In the first few chapters of the book, Humbert states that the perfect age for his nymphets is 9-14 of age. He states that only nymphets of this age group have a certain air about them. Not all girls are nymphets.

I agree it is very wrong. What scares me even more is there are actual people, both men and women, who feel this way about children. I have no clue how they can view innocent human beings in such a way.
If you obey all of the rules, you miss all of the fun.
--Katherine Hepburn
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