DECONSTRUCTING THE MYTHICAL ELEMENTS IN NABOKOV’S LOLITA
GILBERT DURAND’S THEORY ON THE IMAGINARY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34630/polissema.v1i22.4822Keywords:
Myth, The Imaginary, Gilbert Durand, Vladimir Nabokov, LolitaAbstract
This article identifies the mythological elements of the main character of Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel Lolita. The three mythical figures: Lilith from the biblical apocrypha, the Greek nymph and the literary archetype of femme fatale provide metaphorical material for the construction of Lolita’s literary image.
Within the context, the position of myth in literature is outlined through the theories of Claude Lévi-Strauss (theory of mythology), Roland Barthes (myth in contemporary society), finalizing with Gilbert Durand (theory of the imaginary/anthropology).
The main methodology used in the research is descriptive and analytical study. Using the theoretical criteria of the study by Gilbert Durand, father of mythanalysis and mythcriticism, this paper analyses the contamination of myths in the formation of Lolita’s image in the reader’s mind. The mythological function facilitates covert interpretations and author’s intimate concerns at the deepest layers of the character.
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