Thanks for your response, but why don't you consider Lolita
inparticular, and nymphette novels in general, noir novels?
What other genre do they fall under? It's the same problem
that involves many other noir novels: the anti-hero falling
under the sway of a female, leading to his downfall. The only
real difference is that the female is under 18-years-old,
adding another demention to the level of obsession and to the
darkness of the story. Cain's Butterfly is essentially this
same problem, isn't it? Would you not consider Butterfly a
noir novel?
Patrick King
--- Richard Moore <
moorich@aol.com> wrote:
> I admire Nobokov's LOLITA but do not consider it
a
> noir novel.
>
> As for Juri's mention of the Jonathan Craig
Gold
> Medal novel, we
> should recall that nymphettes were practically
a
> sub-genre of the
> paperback original field in the 1950s as
publishers
> sought to tap
> into the sales market identified by the
paperback
> reprints of Erskine
> Caldwell. Gay Brewer, to single out another
Gold
> Medal regular,
> returned again and again to the nymphette theme
with
> THE BRAT (1957),
> lITTLE TRAMP (1957), and several others.
>
> Richard Moore
>
> --- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, Patrick King
> <abrasax93@...>
> wrote:
> >
> > I think you could argue that Lolita is
the
> greatest
> > noir novel of all time. Both the plot and
the
> writing
> > style are perfect. Humbert is the ultimate
Cain
> > anti-hero. Yes, I'd say you're
right.
> >
> > Patrick King
> > --- Juri Nummelin <juri.nummelin@...>
wrote:
> >
> > > There sure are Lolita copies in the
fifties and
> > > sixties
> > > paperbacks. I don't know if it has any
intention
> to
> > > be so, but
> > > Jonathan Craig's SO YOUNG, SO WICKED (GM
1957)
> is a
> > > spin on the
> > > Lolita theme: the 15-year old nymphette
seduces
> the
> > > hired gun so
> > > that he won't kill her. (Does it
actually
> precede
> > > Nabokov's book?
> > > Was that from 1959? So, maybe Nabokov read
some
> of
> > > the earlier
> > > nymphette noirs?)
> > >
> > > I think the case could be made that
Nabokov's
> book
> > > is noir. It's
> > > about a man whose behaviour dooms him from
the
> > > beginning. And
> > > there's a crime, even a murder in
it.
> > >
> > > Juri
> > > http://pulpetti.blogspot.com
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
______________________________________________________________________
> ______________
> > We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to
love
> > (and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty
Pleasures
> list.
> > http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/265
> >
>
>
>
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