I present here my measly attempt at annotation of a page(71 to be exact) from Lolita. I shall try.


"So Humbert the Cubus schemed and dreamed--and the red sun of desire and decision (the two things that create a live world)rose higher and higher, while upon a succession of balconies a succession of libertines, sparkling glass in hand, toasted the bliss of past and future nights. Then, figuratively speaking, I shattered the glass, and boldly imagined(for I was drunk on those visions by then and underrated the gentleness of my nature)how eventually I might blackmail--no, that is too strong a word--mauvemail big Haze into letting me consort with little Haze by gently threatening the poor doting Big Dove with desertion if she tried to bar me from playing with my legal stepdaughter. In a word, I was as helpless as Adam at the preview of early oriental history, miraged in his apple orchard."



Humbert the Cubus: The incubus is a demon that supposedly had sex with and/or impregnated women while they slept. HH designates himself as one.

red sun of desire and decision: the alliterative d's are noted, as well as the contributing idea of the sun beating down upon you and creating a haze(Haze), in which one sees hallucinatory visions, such as pairs of things...

succession of balconies--succession of libertines

mauvemail: mauve is a shade of light purple. Just what HH would choose to "pretty up" his intentions.


Adam--miraged in his apple orchard: reference to Genesis, obviously. Yet we also have the prescence of forbidden fruit(Lo) and the opportunities for obtaining it dazzling HH. There is also the suggestion of palindroming the paragraph--red sun of desire at the start, apples(often red)closing it.



That was perhaps an anemic effort, but I tried. And it dizzying, how much there really is to take note of.