‘Lolita’ Isn’t Hustler

Your Dec. 24 editorial “Parental Advisory” on the proposed Illinois laws limiting minors’ access to certain video games raises several valid points. However, you struck an oddly anachronistic note by mentioning Vladimir Nabokov’s acclaimed work of literature “Lolita” alongside Hustler magazine and the game “Doom 3,” which you rightly call “disgusting.”

One would be hard-pressed to observe the roots of human emotion in Hustler, and I am confident that no critic has yet found a subtle interplay of remembrance and imagination in “Doom 3.” All of these things and much more, however, form the basis for Nabokov’s lifelong contributions to literature. Yes, there is moral shock value in the story line. But the heart and soul of “Lolita” lies in Nabokov’s mastery of language and his combination of humor and tragedy, which he manipulates in subtle combination until, in the end, he exhibits a mastery over readers.

Andrew Shaindlin

Pasadena