genderberg.com

http://www.newschool .edu/lolitaconference/

I was thinking of getting a Master's degree in Media Studies. I like what the Media Education Foundation does, so I attended an info session at the New School today, hoping that the New School's Media Studies program would help me. After the info session was over, I saw these "Lolita" conference posters all over the building, so I took one home so I could examine it.

The link for the conference is above. I haven't read Lolita, so I don't know exactly what it's about, but from skimming wikipedia, I get the impression that this is a book that portrays girls as "nymphets" and "sexually precocious".. basically, it's a book written from the perspective of a pedophile lusting after a 12 yr old stepdaughter.

I think we live in a messed up world when a school would dedicate a freaking CONFERENCE to the "genius" of a pedophile. I didn't see anything about pedophilia on the conference description. I work at a mental health clinic for severely emotionally/psychologically disturbed kids and pedophilia isn't an academic topic for an essay to pad one's resume with... What pisses me off about academics sometimes is that they forget how they are in positions of power. They're in positions of power to make a positive difference and instead they twist it up and cheer on pedophiles in the name of Art. seriously. Oh, and I'm not getting a Master's degree in Media Studies from this school anymore. Seeing Lolita posters on many walls set off my alarm bells. I'm not giving money to an institution that would promote a conference like this. No Thanks!

Really frightening and I don't understand how any decent person could support something that condones paedophilia in any way whatsoever. I think our society generally takes a really hypocritical attitude towards paedophilia - I mean convicted paedophiles provoke far more hatred and fear than any other type of criminal yet at the same time books like this are often portrayed as a wonderful work of art while mainstream pornography happily plays to the paedophilic attitudes of its male consumers, often deliberately making women look younger than they really are. In the UK, for example, the Sun newspaper a few years ago launched a campaign against paedophiles in the community and published the photos and details of hundreds of 'sex offenders' (several of whom it later turned out were completely innocent), yet this is exactly the same newspaper which in the past has illegally printed topless photos of 15, 16, 17 year old girls.

Unfortunally, "Lolita" has been made into "great art" by many. It is a very disturbing book for it glamourises child rape, and puts the burden onto the girl. But what is more dangerous is that it write it a highly "artistic" prose.
It was one of my stepdad's favourite books, he read me most of it. Also, some of my rapists when I prostituted give to me as a "gift". So, I am very bias about that book.
I was continually told how well written it. Whilst at the same time, whatever my actual age I called "Lolita" by several rapists before, during and after they abused me. So it is not some harmless piece of literature.
Once I ripped it up after getting it yet again as a present.
I am so sick of this book being worshippped by liberals.

Good for you bluecoat--maybe even a letter expressing their loss in a potential graduate student would stick it to them?
(i know, we feminists might never eat if we wrote all the letters we should)

Really really gross. Liberals are *famous* for celebrating form over function in art. Sends the message child rape is okay?
"No, no, you're focusing on the wrong part. Look at how he phrased this paragraph on page 8. Look at the dialogue he used here."
It's amazing how much a writing class will focus, in great detail , on the context of a story. Yet the context of the world we live in is hardly considered. When artists get the reputation of being detached wanderers they should first remember the works and ideas they've supported before getting defensive.

convicted paedophiles provoke far more hatred and fear than any other type of criminal yet at the same time books like this are often portrayed as a wonderful work of art while mainstream pornography happily plays to the paedophilic attitudes of its male consumers,

Excellent point StuartM.

Rebecca, that is just awful. As a gift??
I never had to read this story in any of my college writing classes but you are right that Liberals hold it near and dear. Apparently any deviation from the norm is progressive.


Also, just want to vent for a second: I AM SO FUCKING TIRED of seeing clothes advertised with the words "lolita" in them--and of course they are all infantillized outfits made for women (all the models have to sucking on lollipops in the advertisements!).

The thing about Lolita is that supposedly only unsophisticated people take it at face value (not that I agree with that). So the liberals get to sneer at people who haven't been taught about the concept of an unreliable narrator whilst at the same time getting their cheap thrills at the thought of molesting a twelve year old girl. It's the same trick that lads mags in the UK pulled when they pretended that all their pics of naked chix were ironic and were sending up sexism not endorsing it. Of course the truth was it was the same-old, same-old that they needed their fix of degraded humiliated women to feel like real men.

Sounds like a good school to avoid, Bluecoat.

I read what they said on the linked site. Their reasoning seems to be that it is the 50th anniversary of the publishing of the novel. It is certainly true that it has had a significant effect on literature.
I had heard that Nabokov was quite shocked that men who read the novel actually identified with the perp. The possibility exists that the conference intends to do a serious examination of the effects of the "Lolita" myth that has done so much to promote pedophilia. But I doubt it.

thebewilderness wrote:the "Lolita" myth that has done so much to promote pedophilia.

True. That "Lolita" thing is sick...