Letter to Amanda

Simply put-- Why a pedophile? Why does Vladamir Nabokov, a fantastic author and artist, focus his story on the character of a disgusting, perverse and hated pedophile?

Well, although at first I too was against the despicable H.H. I feel that I am now understanding Nabokov's choice a little better (if only slightly). In class we discussed how authors throughout the ages have attempted one-up each other by telling more grotesque stories and creating more despicable characters than the last. This question reminded me of a joke that a friend told me about. Apparently there are a series of jokes referred to as "The Aristocrats" in which the goal of the comedian is to tell the most horrific, grotesque, and shocking joke. The comedian who can best shock the listener with the the dirtiest joke is the most successful. So, by crafting a story around a despicable character provides a challenge to the author and the artist through which only the best can "pull-off".

I was considering posting the link for the Bob Saget aristocrat joke (simply because it is Bob Saget) but I felt that It was TOO vulgar to link. If you want, you can look it up on YouTube and watch it to understand just how grotesque it is. It is highly offensive.