THE PHENOMENON OF THE «UNRELIABLE» NARRATOR IN V. NABOKOV'S NOVEL «LOLITA»

Abstract

The article deals with the phenomenon of «unreliable» narrator, the description of which is one of the current problems of modern literary studies. In the literary text the presence of the «unreliable» narrator is realized through a complex of textual signals, such as first-person narration, contradictions in the narration and description of the same event, an abundance of detailed descriptions, linguistic «sophistication», direct appeal to the reader, self-personal recognition of «imperfections» and failures of memory et cetera. In the example of V. Nabokov's novel «Lolita» shows how the figure of the protagonist, Humbert Humbert, realizes the phenomenon of the «unreliable» narrator, and how recognizing him as such – taking into account the signals hidden in the text – is a determining factor for understanding the true intent of the whole novel.