Cartoony Hum: The Road to Lolita + In Search of Aesthetic Bliss

In reading "The Road to Lolita, or the Americanization of an Emigre," there is much talk of the trite in relation to the novel--comic books and comic book culture being a large part of both the novel's world (or setting) and the world which influenced Nabokov's writing. Though the article makes it clear that Nabokov favors the word over the image, and he is not a fan of photojournalism, there is a similarity between his manipulative style of fiction and the manipulative art of comic book writing. There seems to be a much closer work-to-author relation in Nabokov's style of "puzzle-fiction"; the literary work which has an acute awareness of its manipulative abilities and plays them to the fullest extent. The comic book plays hard on the reader's perception, as well, making use of the art of images, the art of words, and the art of references. I think in a way that Lolita itself could be seen as adapted from a comic strip: it is full of cliches, pop culture references, odd characters who would be visually very unique if cartooned. Nabokov not only utilizes pop culture as a crutch for the book's world--it seems he has taken much influence from the world of pop culture which he "loathes." In many ways, Humbert's justifications play on comic book imagery, as well--they are cartoonish in their dramatic tendencies and their cliches, and they seem to be made to appeal to a large, "common" audience who would likely read the Sunday "funnies."

Just as comics create a constant awareness of the author's authorial manipulation, as written in "In Search of Aesthetic Bliss," "Nabokov forces his reader to be aware at all times of Nabokov shaping and manipulating and mocking his characters, and his reader." The comic utilizes frames, the gutter (the space between frames), and exaggerated and cartoonish illustrations all to mar the reader's perception of the story itself. Similarly, Humbert uses the Foreword by "John Jay Jr.," Humbert's constant intrusion in his account, and the drama of his language to sway the reader's perceptions and morals into a particular vein of thinking.

Another interesting point in "In Search..." actually comes from Appel: "[Humbert's] desire to find fantasy in reality and his perseverance in the face of insurmountable obstacles is so insistent that, despite the fact..." (this sentence seems to be cut off, unfortunately). However, the sentiment here is that Humbert is gaining the reader's empathy through his cartoonish longing and sincerity. His blind perseverance and his search for something "real," despite constant reminders that he is losing ground on his fantasies, gives the reader and thus the "jurors" in his case an empathetic feeling which comes from his cartoon-like stubbornness.