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cannellaeluce · 3 years

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“INTERVIEWER: Your sense of the immorality of the relationship between Humbert Humbert and Lolita is very strong. In Hollywood and New York, however, relationships are frequent between men of forty and girls very little older than Lolita. They marry—to no particular public outrage; rather, public cooing.

NABOKOV: No, it is not my sense of the immorality of the Humbert Humbert-Lolita relationship that is strong; it is Humbert’s sense. He cares, I do not. I do not give a damn for public morals, in America or elsewhere. And, anyway, cases of men in their forties marrying girls in their teens or early twenties have no bearing on Lolita whatever. Humbert was fond of “little girls”—not simply “young girls.” Nymphets are girl-children, not starlets and “sex kittens.” Lolita was twelve, not eighteen, when Humbert met her. You may remember that by the time she is fourteen, he refers to her as his “aging mistress.” (...)

INTERVIEWER: A third critic has said that you “diminish” your characters “to the point where they become ciphers in a cosmic farce.” I disagree; Humbert, while comic, retains a touching and insistent quality—that of the spoiled artist.

NABOKOV: I would put it differently: Humbert Humbert is a vain and cruel wretch who manages to appear “touching.” That epithet, in its true, tear-iridized sense, can only apply to my poor little girl.”

https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/4310/the-art-of-fiction-no-40-vladimir-nabokov

#I started Lolita yesterday morning and finished it now #it was like the proverbial trainwreck:#you're utterly horrified by what you're watching but you cannot avert your eyes from it until it has come to its inevitable end #anyways: nabokov is so clearly aware of what he's doing that the fact that any audience could read this book and be sexually attracted to #the idea of lolita is abominable #lolita #vladimir nabokov #child abuse tw

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mystacoceti · 3 years

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you made a post a little while ago talking about the idea of there being no such thing as plot and expanding that to include characters, etc as well and i was wondering if you could expand on that

Yeah, the specific essay I mention in that post is “Some Notes for the Intermediate and Advanced Creative Writing Student” from The Shorter View:

As far as I can see, talent has two sides. The first side is the absorption of a series of complex models—models for the sentence, models for narrative scenes, and models for various larger literary structures. This is entirely a matter of reading and criticism. (And, yes, that means criticism of the writer’s own texts as well as the criticism of others.) Nothing else affects it.

To know such models and what novels, stories, or sentences employ them certainly doesn’t hurt. Generally speaking, however, the sign that the writer has internalized a model deeply enough to use it in writing is when he or she has encountered it enough times so that she or he no longer remembers it in terms of a specific example or a particular text, but experiences it, rather, as a force in the body, a pull on the buck of the tongue, an urge in the fingers to shape language in one particular way and not in another.

[...]

The first move the more experienced creative writer can make toward absorbing these models is to realize that “plot” is an illusion. It’s an illusion the writer ought to disabuse her-or himself of pretty quickly, too, at least if he or she ever wants to write anything of substance, ambition, or literary richness. (There is no plot.) That is to say, plot is an effect that other written elements produce in concert. Outside those elements, plot has no autonomous existence.

What there is is narrative structure.

Here is a formal statement of the reason plot doesn’t exist:

No narrative unit necessarily corresponds to any textual unit. Plots are always and always composed of synoptic units. 1

I’ll try to demonstrate with examples.

Again: what we call “plot” is an effect produced by (among other things) structure. But many, many different structures can produce the same “plot.”

(Structure does have textual existence: You can point it out on the page: “See, this comes first. This follows it. This takes five sentences to say. This takes two. This sentence concerns the character’s action. This subordinate clause gives the character’s thoughts . . .” These are all comments on narrative structure. Structure exists because a given narrative text exists in its actual and specific textual form.)

[footnote 1: A recent riddle demonstrates what analysis can also reveal—why plot has no definitive existence nor indicates any necessary information about its text.

From the following account of the plot, identify this classic American Depression film:

“An unwilling immigrant to a New Land of Opportunity, a dissatisfied young foreign woman kills an older woman whose face she never sees. After she recruits three equally dissatisfied strangers, together they go on to kill again . . .”

Answer: The Wizard of Oz]

At one point in the essay, Delany exhorts young writers to read, among others, Vladimir Nabokov, so:

A third critic has said that you “diminish” your characters “to the point where they become ciphers in a cosmic farce.” I disagree; Humbert, while comic, retains a touching and insisting quality—that of the spoiled artist. I would put it differently: Humbert Humbert is a vain and cruel wretch who manages to appear “touching.” That epithet, in its true, tear-iridized sense, can only apply to my poor little girl. Besides, how can I “diminish” to the level of ciphers, et cetera, characters that I have invented myself? One can “diminish” a biographee, but not an eidolon.

**E. M. Forster speaks of his major characters sometimes taking over and dictating the course of his novels. Has this ever been a problem for you, or are you in complete command? My knowledge of Mr. Forster’s works is limited to one novel which I dislike; and anyway it was not he who fathered that trite little whimsy about characters getting out of hand; it is as old as the quills, although of course one sympathizes with his people if they try to wriggle out of that trip to India or whereever he takes them. My characters are galley slaves.

(from the 1967 Paris Review interview, from Strong Opinions)

Lolita itself opens with a fictional forward, then moves to the *book proper*. chapter one being something of an introduction, only with chapter two do we get the beginning of the plot and the character: “I was born in 1910, in Paris.” The first proper scene in the novel is potentially not even a plot point as it might largely be fabricated by Humbert as an act of memory, a recombining of possibly real events and a very much fictive Edgar Allen Poe poem. The narrative starts from page one of the novel but the plot starts later and occasionally might have to omit, not just meta jokes, rhetorical rambling and metaphor, but also “plot” events, all of which are part of the narrative. So we have taken care of plot.

But the eidolon, Humbert, is also illusory. The fabrication of that first scene in chapter three and some of its specifics come from the novel’s dense thickets of metaphor, starting from chapter one with, “Look at this tangle of thorns.” The character’s back and forth does not exist outside of the book’s mirrored form pointing in opposite directions.

The Delany essay has some more straightforward examples.

(We find out that Samsa’s family is now taking in lodgers in the last clause of the third sentence of the ninth paragraph of The Metamorphosis’s third chapter—suddenly and without any access to the decision itself, as Gregor must have discovered it: That is to say, the structure of the narrative parallels the experience of the Point of View character[...])

So it’s not so much that there’s no such thing as plot or character, it’s that they’re real in the sense that the eyes on the wing of a butterfly are as real as the eyes of a mammalian predator. They’re just not text or eyes.

#Anonymous #you can see the abstraction of characters from the larger narrative go wrong in a lot of fanfic #like when someone eliminates a secondary character for the sake of shipping two main characters #and inadvertently eliminating moral choices that shape one of the main characters

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vladimir-nabokov-official · 5 years

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Ethical impact, of course, is what Nabokov endlessly denied that he was seeking, and John Ray, Jr., stands for all the idiot readers and critics who are benighted enough to think that such stuff matters in literature. But Nabokov's irony in his fiction is lighter and more complex than the teasing postures of his prefaces and interviews. ‘Despite John Ray‘s assertion,’ Nabokov says, ‘Lolita has no moral in tow.’ It has no moral John Ray would recognize, or that any of us could comfortably package. Humbert moralizes, we might say, Nabokov doesn't. But this is a book about a guilt that both glorifies itself and grovels in self-accusation and can therefore scarcely avoid raising moral questions in the reader's mind – even if the whole once and still scandalous premise of the story didn't raise such questions. No simple lesson, then, and certainly no general lesson; but plenty of practice for the moral imagination, more than we can cope with, perhaps. Nabokov was closer to this sense of the work when he reacted rather sharply to Herbert Gold's suggestion that his ‘sense of the immorality of the relationship between Humbert Humbert and Lolita is very strong’: ‘No, it is not my sense of the immorality of the Humbert Humbert-Lolita relationship that is strong; it is Humbert's sense. He cares, I do not.’ Gold thought Humbert might be ‘touching,’ but Nabokov disagreed: ‘I would put it differently: Humbert Humbert is a vain and cruel wretch who manages to appear “touching.” That epithet, in its true, tear-iridized sense, can only apply to my poor little girl.’ Nabokov doesn’t care, but is able to make eloquent moral judgments all the same. He is suggesting, I take it, not that moral questions are absent from his work, but that they are far from all there is, and that they are grotesquely easy to inflate and misrepresent […].

Michael Wood, ‘Lolita Revisited’ (1995)

#michael wood #vladimir nabokov #lolita

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lecturesaflo-ts · 2 years

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In scontru di... Iride Salvatore

In scontru di… Iride Salvatore

Je remercie tout d’abord Iride Salvatore d’avoir bien voulu répondre à mes questions. Interview en date du : 7 mars 2022 Portrait d’auteur Nom et Prénom et/ou pseudo d’auteur(e) : Iride Salvatore Si vous deviez vous présenter en quelques lignes : Je suis une hyperactive amoureuse de thriller et de romance. Chaque minute de ma journée est consacrée à créer quelque chose. J’adore les travaux…

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deathgatesideblog · 6 years

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So I just reread Hugh’s interview with Ciang in the sixth book and I realized something about Hugh and women.

Exhibit A: A ton of the 5th book is him and Iridal making plans, and accounting for the fact that Iridal is a mysteriarch and therefore more powerful than him, and when they disagree on stuff it’s always a fair argument, with Hugh deferring to Iridal’s judgement about as often as she defers to his, because they both know that they each have different areas of expertise.

Exhibit B: Ciang is to Hugh what Xar is to Haplo and Marit (...like, really, the parallels there are kinda crazy. Up to and including her comment about making him her lover had she been younger). She is his lord and he holds her in the highest respect and comes to her because he knows she’s more knowledgable than him.

Exhibit C: It’s more minor, but Hugh has a lot of those same behaviors with Marit at the beginning of Seventh Gate, turning to her for guidance because he knows she’s more powerful and skilled in this situation than he is. Even when she almost breaks down, he doesn’t disparage her or her emotions, and even tries to comfort her, all without ever treating her as any less capable because of it (the same way he behaves with Iridal).

Am I the only one that finds all of this mutual respect stuff really really refreshing? Especially from a tough, capable, independent, angsty dude character like Hugh, where so often the stereotype is the other way around? Especially since like... no one ever comments, internally or otherwise, on Hugh deferring to any of them, when he does. Because of course he would, in those cases. It just makes sense. Like I give Weis and Hickman crap on occasion re: female characters (WHY FRIDGE ORLA LIKE THAT? WHY WAS THE HAPLO/ALAKE MESS THE WAY IT WAS? WHY DO LESS THAN HALF THE BOOKS PASS THE BECHDEL TEST? etc, etc) but honestly there’s a lot of good stuff on that front, too, and I should give them more credit for that.

#mine #screaming into the void #modern au hugh is the kind of dude that other guys think they can say misogynistic stuff to as a joke #and then cooly shuts them down #hand of chaos #dragon wing #into the labyrinth #seventh gate

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photon-geyser · 1 month

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Howdy! What's a dermatologist?

- Bingo of @vital-spirit

oh hi! im typing with only one hand rogjt now so forgive any typos i make but a dermatologist is a doctor that specifically treats you when somethings up with your skin! i think uh... do you haveleprosy iver there? is that a thing where you are?? i think they can treat leprosy.

they treat a lot of didferent things so hopefully theyll know whatsup eirh me!

#pkmn irl #rotumblr #interview with irid #eeby deeby irl #slow eeby deeby #iridescent horrors

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photon-geyser · 1 month

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Wait you ATE A Z-CRYSTAL??? Do you think that caused the rash??? And. Like what did it taste like tho

i mean i didn’t really eat it so much as lick it… i don’t know if that would cause a rash or anything but maybe?? the z crystal itself didnt taste that bad but it was a little bit like bitter tasting.

#pkmn irl #interview with irid

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photon-geyser · 1 month

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[ @astray-flame asked: ]

another blog from melemele here!!! alola!!!

i saw your recent posts and...are you ok??? what you're going through sounds...pretty bad. either way i hope you get better soon!!

melemele gang unite!!

uhhh about like my health its kindaaaaa. well i mean hopefully im gonna recoger soon but like nobody knows whats wrong with me so. its pretty scary tbh. but thank you!!!!!

#pkmn irl #interview with irid #eeby deeby irl #slow eeby deeby #iridescent horrors

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photon-geyser · 3 months

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hello rotumblr!

Hi! My name is Irid and I'm fifteen years old. I don't really expect to get a lot of attention here, I'm kinda just using this blog as a journal, or just a way to document my Island Challenge for now. I don't know i there's really anything else to say about me... Oh, I call Melemele Island home but I've never really left it! Um... Feel free to ask any questions, I guess! I'm travelling with two of my friends too, so you might see them talk on here too!

Oh, er... My name is Melanie. I'm fifteen as well, but I'm not really a Pokemon Trainer. I'm just accompanying Irid along his Island Challenge because... Well, I'd like to see Alola for myself. I haven't seen much of it despite living here my whole life. I don't think there's anything else to say...? I'll be typing in blue.

Hiya! My name's Kōnane. Big shocker, I'm 15 too. I completed my Island Challenge a few years ago, but I'm redoing it again with Irid! I figured it'd be a good idea to keep an eye on these two since they're exploring Alola by themselves for the first time. Besides, what's not to love about travelling with your buddies? I'll be typing in orange, by the way!

I just kinda started on my Island Challenge, so I haven't really gotten to catch a lot of Pokemon, but these are the ones I have so far!

Pierrot / Brionne / F Timid, very finicky.

Bunicula / Lopunny / M Lonely, a little quick tempered.

Truco / Zorua / M Rash, loves to eat.

Flicker / Ribombee / F Hardy, sturdy body.

Bub / Ampharos / M Bashful, sturdy body.

Sword / Umbreon / F Naive, somewhat vain.

Current Status: Pausing my island challenge for now.

//OOC below the cut!

Hello! This is a slow eeby blog is run by the mun behind @aspen-in-da-crater which is where follows and likes will come from!

I saw a bunch of people plus two of my friends doing the whole slow eeby deeby thing, so I wanted to try it out myself. Since this is a slow eeby blog, there is a blanket body horror warning for this entire blog. I will be doing my best to tag things accordingly but please let me know if I forget to tag something!

Additionally, this blog will involve/discuss high stakes events involving the plot of USUM, such as Aether Paradise, Ultra Space, and Ultra Megalopolis. I should also note, I won't be explicitly revealing what Pokemon Irid will become just yet, but I think it should be fairly obvious already, or at least once things get rolling.

This blog will be taking place during the events of Pokemon Ultra Sun and following it's storyline. Melanie and Kōnane are both roughly based on/take inspiration from Lillie and Hau, however, they are both their own individual characters.

Guidelines/Rules:

Irid is a minor. Behave accordingly.

I have a specific canon I'm working with for this blog so if an interaction seems to strongly go against it I might not interact, but honestly, the whole multiverse thing makes that a non-issue.

Pelipper Mail is ON.

Pelipper Unmail is ON.

Musharna mail is OFF.

Musharna malice is OFF.

Magic anons are OFF.

I may turn the above on or off as I see fit or for non-canon special events, but we'll see.

Tags:

#iridisms ⇌ Posts made by Irid.

#irid reblogs ⇌ Posts reblogged by Irid.

#interview with irid ⇌ Asks answered by Irid.

#mela posting ⇌ Posts where Melanie speaks.

#konane posting ⇌ Posts where Konane speaks.

#iridescent horrors ⇌ Irid specific high stakes.

Irid looks like the PFP.

Kōnane (left) and Melanie (right)

#pokemon irl #pkmn irl #pokeblogging #eeby deeby #eeby deeby irl #eebydeeby irl #slow eeby deeby #slow eeby #sleeby deeby #sleeby #iridisms #irid reblogs #interview with irid #mela posting #konane posting #iridescent horrors

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