reading lolita in quakertown

What's making me uncomfortable about reading Lolita? Aside from, you know, sympathizing with and rooting for a pedophile?

Not being able to go a single freaking page without having to get my ass off the couch and type some word into dictionary.com.

Here's the latest:

cog⋅no⋅men

 


 /kɒgˈnoʊmən/ Show Spelled [kog-noh-muhn] Show IPA

–noun, plural -no⋅mens, -nom⋅i⋅na

 /-ˈnɒmənə/ Show Spelled [-nom-uh-nuh] Show IPA .

1.a surname.

2.any name, esp. a nickname.

3.the third and commonly the last name of a citizen of ancient Rome, indicating the person's house or family, as “Caesar” in “Gaius Julius Caesar.” Compare agnomen (def. 1).


Remember that one for next time, kids.

a death in the family

The first book I read from my list was A Death in the Family. The author, James Agee, didn't get to finish writing it because he died. So, the editors were left with a pretty much completed story, and then these sections that didn't fit anywhere chronologically.

So they split them in half, put them in italics, and stuck them at the end of the first two sections. Why not just leave them out? Because they're beautiful.

My new favorite quote comes from one of these italicized sections. It's about parents.

"When I am astonished or bewildered, it is they who make the weak ground firm beneath my soul."

Edward Cullen is beautiful and shiny, but not that beautiful.