Would you like to sit down to dinner with H.H.

Yale class--The American Novel Since 1945 (ENGL 291) Professor Amy Hungerford introduces the first of three lectures on Nabokov's Lolita by surveying students' reactions to the novel, highlighting the conflic...

Hear and see Nabokov and Lionel Trilling (remember this name) talking about Lolita" part 1, part 2

Upsilamba to YoYo

Upsilamba

Dedicated To Professor

by Yassi


The world is full of contradictions
Thus the expressions of Upsilamba
Two Greek numerals,
out of their sequentiality
When you are against all establishments,
To present your dignities and irritations

The irritations of small,
trivial, and inconsequential
That carries all the intent of individuals
In the moment of privation
To against all things that are regulations

Regulation of ideology,
opposition and repression
That despises all serendipities

We want to have our Upsilamba
That defines our in-definability
Our triviality, our ir-regularities

Our Reading Lolita in Tehran -- Give it a new color

最右边是诗人水竹，旁边站着外号“夫人”的阿兰和雪，接着是竹林子，我们中间最年轻的一个，我们亲切称她为喜剧演员。站在竹林子旁的教授由爱丽丝与萤火虫担任，她们旁边站着紫罗兰，她说话很率直，经常与夫人和诗人顶牛，所以有野丫头的称号。野丫头旁边站的是姥姥，她大概是我们中间最文静的一个。她的旁边是摇摆不定的老牛。最左边是时隐时现的大雁。

有问题 -- 天天读，天天问

四个星期一共有28天，一共70多页的第一章每天读几页，不算太重。划出有疑问的地方，大家及可以及时解答。还是老套子，写在Comments里。

大家接着写自己。

作业II：问答 -- 有答案的问题将被移到“对号入座”的文件里，请scroll down. 被移动的问题可以接着回答，你只要把题号表明。比如说第9题很快就会被移到文件夹里，如果你要针对Poshlust说点什么，只要提到（9）就行了。


13. (chapter 7, p. 25) "We lived in a culture that denied any merit to literary works, considering them important only when they were handmaidens to something seemingly more urgent--namely ideology."

-- Can you decribe a period in your life that literary works are tools to advance some people's ideology? Why do you think the word "handmaiden" is used here? (没人抢答, 大雁来答)


15. (chapter 8 &10 , p. 28 & 35) What is the similarity the professor draws between "a stern ayatollah, a self-proclaiming philosopher-king" with H.H., even she once again emphasize "we were not Lolita, the Ayatollah was not Humbert? (雪)

16. 在七个姑娘之间有两对朋友, 你能说出她们的名字吗? (麻将三友)

17. (Chapter15, p.51-53) There is a conflict between Mahshid (雪), and Azin (紫罗兰). 从“Mhshid, who had been quiet until then, suddenly …到But Yassi would not give up 那一段. Let’s act it out. 雪和紫罗兰幸苦了, 花点儿时间把她们之间的争执记一下. Yassi, (竹林子), Mann (水竹), 你们俩也参与了.

对号入座了！

为了保护书中提到的人物，著者为她们更名改姓，张冠李戴；而我们却要step into their shoes, 上演一出属于我们自已的《在梦露湖畔读洛莉塔》。

每天读一点，先把书中的你介绍一下，中英文都行。 别忘了，你们必须log into Gmail account to edit.

Let's play a game -- Calling names

在线读 Lolita (英文)

读了, 看了Lolita之后, 大家都有些感受. 发长篇大论之感太花时间, 那么咱们就长话短说, 向Mitra(姥姥) 学习, 用一两字, 一句话涵盖你的读后感. (先起个头儿)

Lolita (小说) -- a tale of lost love, fantastic, extremely funny
Humbert (人物) -- a moral monster, a poor sensitive soul, manipulative
Lolita (人物) -- a slut, an innocent and helpless child

in the wake of The 13th Tale

The 13th Tale pays homage to novels like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Here is another novel which is more related to Jane Eyre.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I did not mentions it at our last meeting, being afraid that too much of "madwoman in the attic" might bore you or scare you. Today I come upon this recommendation

以诗为谢：致晓英和Alice

《故事是深情》
致晓英，Alice
by 知情人

(1)
故事是深情
躲藏在故事人的心里
稠的化不去
等待那一个人
或者一群人
的聆听

(2)
一切的灾难，仇恨
蒙羞，和不瞑的深情
可以变成一个字
一句话
一个故事
似一阵风
又似一场雨
吹拂积尘的过去
去化解那不解的生世

(3)
生世是个故事
是那个故事的完成
或者是
这个故事的开始

(4)
故事是故事
柔的像云
可以马上消失
又沉的像山脉
安静地竖立
永远抹不去
那山林的身影
和故事的声音
声音里的深情

九月二日读书会 and etc.

书友们，
从我们的书会成立以来，昨晚的读书会让我第一次感到我们真正地进入了轨道。我这么说并不是贬低以往聚会，每一次从领读者到他成员都是非常认真的。昨晚上大家对书中细节的斟酌推敲绝对是第一流的。另外爱丽丝为我们另开了一个可效仿的先例。大家读书，大家提问。

etc. 看来我们是要“妹妹你大胆地往前走”了，往前走，不回头，一直走到”德黑兰”去了。
下一次聚会（九月30日）我们要讨论:

1．《在德黑兰读洛莉塔》 -- 第一章“Lolita”（每人必读）
2. Nabokov’s Lolita – 读全文, 可听 Book-on-CD, 读介绍，看电影.
紫罗兰在网上找到中文的《洛莉塔》。不是全文，但总能让你体会一下。不要忘记读一下作者介绍，内容介绍，作品欣赏。这对我们理解小说很有帮助。