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"Lolita" is an English-language term defining a young girl as "precociously seductive."[1] It originates from Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel Lolita, which portrays the narrator Humbert's sexual obsession with and victimization of a 12-year-old girl whom he privately calls "Lolita", the Spanish nickname for Dolores (her given name).[2] Unlike Nabokov, however, contemporary writers typically use the term "Lolita" to portray a young girl who attracts adult desire as complicit rather than victimized.[1]
The term's meaning and use in Japanese differs substantially from the English, and has developed instead into a positive synonym for the "sweet and adorable" adolescent girl.[3] The usage stems from the romanticization of Japanese girls' culture, and forms the compounds lolicon and Lolita fashion.
- ^ a b "Lolita". Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
In Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel, Lolita, the character Lolita is a child who is sexually victimized by the book's narrator. The word Lolita has, however, strayed from its original referent, and has settled into the language as a term we define as 'a precociously seductive girl.'...The definition of Lolita reflects the fact that the word is used in contemporary writing without connotations of victimization.
- ^ Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. New York: Vintage International, 1955. ISBN 0-679-72316-1
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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