Apropos of nothing, A Thought on "Lolita"

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love -
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.



Poes' "Annabelle Lee" is important to a better understanding of Nabokovs' "Lolita". Humberts "dead love Annabelle Leigh" is a clear allusion to the poem, as is his use of the term "kingdom by the sea". I think it is probable that Humberts relationship with Annabelle was entirely ficticious; an idealized conception of love. Moreover, it was clearly indicative of his designs on Lolita. Humberts' relationship with Lolita was not just, or even most importantly, sexual, but one of complete subjugation and re-creation. His goal was having someone "live[d] with no other thought than to love and be loved by me". This goal necessitated her transformation from Dolly Haze to Lolita.

Humbert may not have even really been a pedophile, intrinsically, but a child could more easily be molded into what he wanted; a person who lived totally for Humbert. And who could be more important to a person than their creator?