Lolita and Edgar Allan Poe

[SirJazzHands]

It's funny I'm reading The Annotated Lolita, and the annotator makes quite a few mentions of how Nabokov references Poe, such as Humbert's former lover being named Annabel, but he never does mention the fact that the way the novel is written is similar to Poe as well.
It's just, very neurotic and.. I don't know the right adjectives for it, but his paranoia and passion seem to be borrowed from the Tell-Tale Heart and Annabel Lee, among others.
How he occasionally describes how afraid he is of being caught, even, or how he details how he is going to steal Lolita away... Honestly, I don't think Lolita is that "dirty" of a novel, because if you think of it in a certain way, Lolita is more like a second Edgar Allan Poe novel, written a century later.

Does anyone else feel this way, that Lolita is similar to Poe's writing?

[carlin08]

I haven't read _Lolita_ for quite some time, and I have never thought of it in relation to any of Poe's work. With that said, however, I find your observation interesting. Humbert is a very introspective narrator, and Nabokov seems to be interested in depicting the psyche of a mind plagued by madness. In this way, I can see a connection between the two authors. Of course, an introspective narrator suffering from some kind of emotional imbalance is a formula that can be found in many other works, but I think you're right in saying that the level of paranoia and passion that can be found in Humbert's character can also be seen in Poe's characters as well. And like much of Poe's work, these passions are very sinister and dark, to the point of being almost taboo.

I do have to say that I'm not a big fan of Poe's work, but I do respect him as a writer. His characters are unforgettable, and I think part of that is because he is a very gutsy writer--specifically, in terms of character development.

(Reading over my response, I now realize that I'm not entirely sure if _Lolita_ is written from the first person perspective. If it isn't then this would change my point a little bit. Like I said, it has been a while since I've read the novel).

[JCamilo]

Yes and now.
Of course Poe is a important reference for Lolita, and prior to Freud, Poe is most likely, one of the forefathers of narratives using the first person perspective to "trick" the reader and Nabokov is very found of this. This way they can fill in a psychological depth caused by the emotions but that is something you can see in all modernist literature, since the russian masters, passing by Joyce, Woolf or Borges.
Nabokov language is much more clear, balanced and light than Poe, with his heavy and jagged options of language.

[tractatus]

I didnt read Annotated Lolita but I am not sure if Poe's and Nabokov's style similar.

One thing, about Nabokov's refer of Poe or Anabel,
May it be more formal? Is it because Poe married with his cousin at the age of 13?
(And we think she is Anabel Lee too.)
Just an idea.