Subject
Review - The Lolita Effect ...
From
Date
Body
Complete article at follwing URL:
http://metapsychology.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=book&id=5382&cn=139
Review - The Lolita Effect
The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It
by M. G. Durham
Overlook Press, 2009
Review by Michael Pereira, M.A.
Feb 9th 2010 (Volume 14, Issue 6)
M. G. Durham's The Lolita Effect is an investigation into the present condition of the media's portrayal of young girls. Durham's thesis is substantiated in reference to analyzing the various texts which typify the mainstream media attitude as well as studies ranging from public health to media studies. The titular thesis of The Lolita Effect is that there are a set of myths propagated by the mainstream media to promote and enforce a distinct kind of female sexuality that is ultimately detrimental to society. I shall address certain key themes of significance in this book that include: the 'Humbert Humbert' Fantasy; the nature of myth in the social sciences; the social harm of the Lolita Effect, and finally, the practical dimension of this book.
The title of this book comes from the Lolita novel by Vladimir Nabokov. Durham addresses how our putative attitude to the 'Lolita' is based on the sexualized fantasy of a young girl (Dolores Haze) imposed by the adult character Humbert Humbert. For Durham, a conscientious reading of Nabokov's Lolita should consider the girl's point of view; how sexuality is being forced on her against her will and Haze is ultimately the victim of an adult's fantasy. This metaphor works very well to characterize the social condition of how the media impacts on our attitudes about female sexuality and how the warped sexualized reading of young Haze overshadows her plight.
[ ... ]
Michael Pereira has an MA in Philosophy and a BSc in Sociology and Philosophy. He has been invited to give talks on Kant's philosophy, social science and the philosophical underpinnings of ecology. His area of interest is Kant's theoretical philosophy and Kant's (supposed) relevance to contemporary philosophy of science.
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/