Crystal Holly Eng-230 Professor Smith May 9, 2016
Cultural Criticism: Criticism: What has pop culture done to poor Lolita?
“Laies an gentlemen of the !"ry, the ma!ority of se# o$eners that han%er for some thro&&ing, s'eet-moaning, (hysi)al &"t not ne)essarily )oital, relation 'ith a girl-)hil, are inno)"o"s, inae*"ate, (assi+e, timi strangers 'ho merely as% the )omm"nity to allo' them to ("rs"e their (ra)ti)ally harmless, so-)alle a&errant &eha+ior, their little hot 'et (ri+ate a)ts of se#"al e+iation 'itho"t the (oli)e an so)iety )ra)%ing o'n on them e are not se# .ens/ e o not ra(e as goo soliers o e are "nha((y, mil og-eye gentlemen, s")iently 'ell integrate to )ontrol o"r "rge in the (resen)e of a"lts, &"t reay to gi+e years an years of life for one )han)e to to")h a nym(het a&o%o+ 624
Lolita 'as a no+el 5 st"m&le a)ross &y )han)e, on "m&lr 7 singer &y
the name of Lana 8el ey ha a song, “:$ to the a)es lin%e to the site loosely &ase o$ of ;laimir a&o%o+iss me on my o(en mo"th on to( of rhythmi) &eats mae the story seem glamoro"s an +i&rant Ho'e+er, 'hat Lana 8el ey an so many others left o"t 'as the ar% "nertone that
Lolita is not a story of s'eet, mis"nerstoo roman)e or
"n)on+entional lo+e 5t is the story of the a&"se an the aggressor Many fall "ner the false im(ression that Lolita is a )lassi) lo+e story &"t 'o"l a )lassi) lo+e story in)l"e a mi-30s man (leaing to a gro"( of !"rors 'hy &eing in lo+e 'ith a 12 year ol is a))e(ta&le, as the e#)er(t from the no+el oes a&o+e? Lolita is mae o"t to &e a yo"ng girl 'ho *"ite sim(ly is in lo+e 'ith an oler man She is seen as feminine, @irty, mat"re A not the +i)tim that she a)t"ally is heir lo+e is s"((ose to &e ar% &"t &ea"tif"l, something 'e onBt ha+e to "nerstan &"t is that right? 5 thin% not 5n my essay 5 'ill &rea% o'n ho' (o( )"lt"re often romanti)iDes ra(e )"lt"re an e#(lain ho' it is (ossi&le to mista%e a&"se for )ommon roman)e in Lolita
The Misconception TV/Film adaptions
Lolita. 7 tren o"r )"lt"re has greatly em&ra)e is t"rning )lassi) no+els, or e+en no+els 'ith a “)"lt follo'ing, into .lm aa(tions his )an &e seen in fran)hises li%e he Twilight Saga, the Hunger Games trilogy, an more famo"sly, the Harry Potter series series hen a no+el is &ro"ght to .lm, often times its original (lot 'ill get altere to .t into one of t'o )ategories )omey or roman)e Po( )"lt"re as a 'hole tens to romanti)iDe or s"gar)oat things instea of sti)%ing to its original )ontent his )an e#(lain 'hy, e+en 'hen a no+el
his rings tr"e tr"e to the .lm aa(tion aa(tion of of Lolita, 'hi)h mae its e&"t in 1962 5n an essay entitle, “Letting Lolita La"gh 'ritten &y ;i)toria 8")%ett, 8")%ett goes on to re)o"nt her initial rea)tion to the .lm 5n the essay she goes on to say, “F5 ne+ertheless &elie+e that there is a )ons)io"s an )le+er h"mor in the 'ay that Lolita oes not mimi) a&o%o+ &"t instea e(arts signi.)antly from &oth the no+el
8")%ett
)hara)ter for .lm that a((ears f"n an @irty li%e the one Lana 8el ey )rones a&o"t in her song, it is to )lean "( the mess an t"rn this tragi) no+el into a romanti) story that ("lls at the heartstrings his is one 'ay in 'hi)h (o( )"lt"re romanti)iDes ra(e )"lt"re 5t ma%es e+erything a((ear m")h more consensual an morally right 'hen the reality of it is m")h ar%er than 'e<
li%e to thin%
Family Guy. Family Guy is is a sho' %no'n for its satiri)al storylines an )riti)ism against all things (o("lar )"lt"re 5n their se+enth season the sho' i an e(isoe title “amily Iay, 'here there is a James Kon all"sion 5n the s)ene, James Kon is staning 'ith a &lone 'oman an their ialog"e goes as follo's “James ("lling &lone into arms o', time for some "n.nishe &"siness Klone o James James Nes Nes Klone o James James Nes, Nes, yo" are are going to ha+e se# se# 'ith me Klone o James, 5 on
5n in)or(orating this ialog"e into the s)ri(t, the 'riters of Family Guy are are mo)%ing (o( )"lt"re an )riti)iDing it for (romoting ra(e 7s J"ith Naross Lee sai in her essay “7ssa"lts of La"ghter, “Comi) arts matter as )"lt"ral (ro")ts, an of all genres of )omi) art satire may matter most H"mor al'ays re@e)ts the ini+i"als an so)ieties of its time an (la)eF &"t satire o$ers a lens thro"gh 'hi)h the 'ar(e images of )ontentio"s )i+il iss"es )ome )learly into +ie' Lee +ii4 he iea of "sing satire in the sho' is an e$e)ti+e tool &e)a"se es(ite the 'riter
Music M"si) has a h"ge in@"en)e on (o( )"lt"re so 'hat an artist s(its o"t is 'hat listeners 'ill ha((ily )ons"me an aa(t to their o'n ieologies Li%e ;
sho's an .lm aa(tations m"si), on)e a(art of (o("lar )"lt"re, often romanti)iDes ra(e )"lt"re his )an &e seen in an array of songs Kelo' 5 'ill tal% a&o"t one in (arti)"lar that mae healines in 2013 Blurred Lines. o&in hi)%e is an a'ar 'inning m"si)ian 'ho )ame o"t
'ith the song, “Kl"rre Lines in 2013 he song 'as )at)hy, f"n, an se#y A m")h li%e Lana 8el ey
S"mmer &y Kill&oar an re)ei+e m")h more (raise he m"si) +ieo for the song f"rther aggra+ates things &y ha+ing the 'omen in the +ieo an)e aro"n 'ith h"ge smiles on their fa)es as the men sing the s"ggesti+e lyri)s to them 5n the eli&erate roles the 'omen (lay in the +ieo an the )r"e lyri)s, it goes to f"rther sho' ho' (o( )"lt"re romanti)iDes a&"se 5t isn
o' that 'e ha+e e#amine ho' (o( )"lt"re (romotes ra(e )"lt"re, 'e )an no' see ho' this )an &e a((lie to Lolita o o o this, 'e sho"l sho"l start &y &y loo%ing at the te#t itself here are se+eral things 'ritten in the &oo% that )an &e mista%en for s'eet, s'eet roman)e &"t s(ea% the o((osite :ne of those e#am(les )an &e fo"n right in the &eginning of the no+el 'hen a&o%o+ 'rites, “5n a ner+o"s an slener A lea+e mimosa gro+e at the &a)% of their +illa 'e fo"n a (er)h on the r"ins of a lo' stone 'all She trem&le an t'it)he as 5 %isse the )orner of her (arte li(s an the hot lo&e of her ear 7 )l"ster of stars (alely glo'e a&o+e "s &et'een the silho"ettes of long thin lea+esF Her legs, her lo+ely li+e legs, 'ere not too )lose together, an 'hen my han lo)ate 'hat it so"ght, a reamy an eerie e#(ression, half-(leas"re, half-(ain, )ame o+er those )hilish feat"resF She 'o"l try to relie+e the (ain of lo+e &y .rst ro"ghly r"&&ing her ry li(s against mine then my arling 'o"l ra' a'ay 'ith a ner+o"s toss of her hair, an then again )ome ar%ly near an let me fee on her o(en mo"th, 'hile 'ith a generosity that 'as reay to o$er her e+erything, my heart, my throat, my entrailsF a&o%o+ 4
Se#"al a&"se is 'ritten all o+er this e#)er(t from the &latant molestation that ta%es (la)e 'hen H"m&ert
intensely an 'illy a man 'ill %ill an ris% his freeom to &e 'ith her? 5t
getting the f"ll (i)t"re a(e )"lt"re is +ery serio"s an 'hat (o( )"lt"re thro's o"t at "s is 'hat 'e )ons"me so let
Ki&liogra(hy a&o%o+, ;laimir Lolita "ll e#t4 e#t4 n Thtt(=='''+ahina&)om=lolita(fU 8")%ett, ;i)toria Harriet Letting Lolita La"gh Literature Film !uarterly R23 201R4 G2V-GR0 ML" #nternational $i%liography e& V May 2016 MrK"nsen1 amily I"y - James Kon G0 oBs, 1 Nes &ouTu%e No""&e, 0V J"ne 201G 201G e& e& 0V May 2016 2016 Lee, J"ith Naross 7ssa"lts :f La"ghter Studies #n "merican Humor 11 11 201G4 +-#i+ +-#i+ ML" #nternational $i%liography e& V May 2016 Cla"ia&oleyn hat a(ists Say E)hoes the Lyri)s of “Kl"rre Lines e& log (ost 'laudia $oleyn (, n e& 0V May 2016 Thtt(==)la"ia&oleynt"m&lr)om=(ost=62R3069G63='hat-ra(ists-saye)hoes-the-lyri)s-of-&l"rreU Patnoe, EliDað Lolita Misre(resente, Lolita e)laime 8is)losing he 8o"&les 'ollege Literature 222 199G4 V1-10R ML" #nternational $i%liography e& V May 2016
