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Re: Nabokov and Twelve-Year-Old Girls ...
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Brian Boyd responds to R.Maclean's quotes with "an antidote" and the latest entry on Jeffrey Masson's blog, http://jeffreymasson.wordpress.com/: reachable under by the link "Nabokov, Freud, and Lolita ".
JM: Although he's no Nabokov scholar, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson has had "the privilege of knowing Brian Boyd" He writes that in "reading his comments on Lolita[ ...]I was struck by his argument [...]that Nabokov himself fully understood the damage that Humbert Humbert did to his 12-year-old step-daughter. The book is in many ways profoundly moral [...] Before that time, the most profound accounts of the damage that can occur in child sexual abuse belong to two great psychologists, none other than Sigmund Freud, and his favorite disciple, Sandor Ferenczi... Alas, for whatever reason, Freud seems to have lost the courage of his early years [...]Ferenczi took up where the master dared not go...Nabokov loathed Freud and psychoanalysis...The question I think worth further investigation is to what extent Nabokov knew Freud's writings, and in particular, in writing Lolita, was anything of Freud's views on child abuse available to him[...]I find it impossible to believe that he would have mocked Freud's deep insights into the damage of incest, and it is to both authors' eternal credit that that they made it apparent to the rest of the world for the foreseeable future, even if in the case of Freud he recoiled from his own most profound views, and in the case of Nabokov, he was widely misunderstood by his audience."
In J.Masson's blog we find a comment by Olaf Althoven (excerpts):"Following the biographical researches by Marianne Krüll, Freud as a child was "seduced" by his catholic nurse; Freud himself remembers that during his selfanalysis. But he never seems to be able to realise the feelings of being ashamed, helpless, weak: And if that's the measure of real courage, it's right to say, he'd lost it. Psychoanalysis in this classical, orthodox form is at least the "heroic" effort of a man, who was a victim himself, and a permanent "self-analysis", which finally buries (and denies) as much (Trauma) as it bares (Ödipus). "[Lolita's] 'incestuous' impact is the impact of a spoiled little girl. Here, "incest" means the inversion of the natural relation of power and authority between the child and his parents, the weakness, seductiability and irresponsibility of her stepfather: It´s less in the blood, it´s in the role, that we take for each other. There is no compatibility between parenthood and sexuality. To know that is the responsibility, function and reliability of being parent. Not to know that is the natural right of unconsciousness of a child and at the same time to depend on parental integrity..."
Wikipedia confirms part of that which I remembered concerning Jeffrey Masson (i.e., how his 'search for truth' led him to betray those who gave him full access to Freud's private papers) Excerpts: Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson (born March 28, 1941 as Jeffrey Lloyd Masson in Chicago, Illinois) is an American author, residing in New Zealand. Masson is best known for his conclusions about Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis. In his book The Assault on Truth, Masson argues that Freud may have abandoned his seduction theory because he feared that granting the truth of his female patients' claims that they had been sexually abused would hinder the acceptance of his psychoanalytic methods.[...] In 1970, Masson began studying to become a psychoanalyst at the Toronto Psychoanalytic Institute, completing a full clinical training course in 1978. During this time, he befriended the psychoanalyst Kurt Eissler and became acquainted with Sigmund Freud's daughter Anna Freud. Eissler designated Masson to succeed him as Director of the Sigmund Freud Archives after his and Anna Freud's death. Masson learned German and studied the history of psychoanalysis. In 1980 Masson was appointed Projects Director of the Freud Archives, with full access to Freud's correspondence and other unpublished papers. While perusing this material, Masson concluded that Freud might have rejected the seduction theory in order to advance the cause of psychoanalysis and to maintain his own place within the psychoanalytic inner circle [...] In 1981, Masson's controversial conclusions were discussed in a series of New York Times articles by Ralph Blumenthal, to the dismay of the psychoanalytic establishment. Masson was subsequently dismissed from his position as project director of the Freud Archives. and stripped of his membership in psychoanalytic professional societies..."
I share in his interest to learn how familiar Vladimir Nabokov was with the Freudian theory and writings but, up to the present, I got no relevant clues about the extent of his readings. J. Masson's observation that "Nabokov himself fully understood the damage that Humbert Humbert did to his 12-year-old step-daughter. The book is in many ways profoundly moral" surprises me for, even before Freud and Ferenczi wrote on a "seduction theory," ordinary parents in the western world were perfectly able to evaluate (even when they didn't control or supress it) the damage an adult could inflict on a young child by precociously stimulating him/her .sexually. The high frequency in which nannies, governesses and close relatives mishandled their charges is fully documented by Freud and, together with parental omission, are part of a distressing situation that remains, in great part, unaltered. Preventive measures and parental enlightment are fundamental and, perhaps, this is what J.Masson claims has been Nabokov's Lolita's "profoundly moral" influence on society - I can only wonder about that.
In his response, Olaf Alhoven brings forth an interesting information about Freud's having been sexually molested as a child ( perhaps provoking dizzy spells in him, just like those suffered by John Shade: "I was corrupted, terrified, allured,/And though old doctor Colt pronounced me cured/Of what, he said, were mainly growing pains,/The wonder lingers and the shame remains.") and a wise comment in relation to Humbert-Lolita (there's "no compatibility between parenthood and sexuality" - if, by sexuality, we indicate a precocious genital arousal, which is something quite distinct from Sandor Ferenczi's vision about adult "language of tenderness").
There's no ready-made antidote to solve the problem of gossipy conjectures or of wild psychoanalytic interpretations on the loose. Open discussions with favorable or dissenting views may always be of help...
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JM: Although he's no Nabokov scholar, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson has had "the privilege of knowing Brian Boyd" He writes that in "reading his comments on Lolita[ ...]I was struck by his argument [...]that Nabokov himself fully understood the damage that Humbert Humbert did to his 12-year-old step-daughter. The book is in many ways profoundly moral [...] Before that time, the most profound accounts of the damage that can occur in child sexual abuse belong to two great psychologists, none other than Sigmund Freud, and his favorite disciple, Sandor Ferenczi... Alas, for whatever reason, Freud seems to have lost the courage of his early years [...]Ferenczi took up where the master dared not go...Nabokov loathed Freud and psychoanalysis...The question I think worth further investigation is to what extent Nabokov knew Freud's writings, and in particular, in writing Lolita, was anything of Freud's views on child abuse available to him[...]I find it impossible to believe that he would have mocked Freud's deep insights into the damage of incest, and it is to both authors' eternal credit that that they made it apparent to the rest of the world for the foreseeable future, even if in the case of Freud he recoiled from his own most profound views, and in the case of Nabokov, he was widely misunderstood by his audience."
In J.Masson's blog we find a comment by Olaf Althoven (excerpts):"Following the biographical researches by Marianne Krüll, Freud as a child was "seduced" by his catholic nurse; Freud himself remembers that during his selfanalysis. But he never seems to be able to realise the feelings of being ashamed, helpless, weak: And if that's the measure of real courage, it's right to say, he'd lost it. Psychoanalysis in this classical, orthodox form is at least the "heroic" effort of a man, who was a victim himself, and a permanent "self-analysis", which finally buries (and denies) as much (Trauma) as it bares (Ödipus). "[Lolita's] 'incestuous' impact is the impact of a spoiled little girl. Here, "incest" means the inversion of the natural relation of power and authority between the child and his parents, the weakness, seductiability and irresponsibility of her stepfather: It´s less in the blood, it´s in the role, that we take for each other. There is no compatibility between parenthood and sexuality. To know that is the responsibility, function and reliability of being parent. Not to know that is the natural right of unconsciousness of a child and at the same time to depend on parental integrity..."
Wikipedia confirms part of that which I remembered concerning Jeffrey Masson (i.e., how his 'search for truth' led him to betray those who gave him full access to Freud's private papers) Excerpts: Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson (born March 28, 1941 as Jeffrey Lloyd Masson in Chicago, Illinois) is an American author, residing in New Zealand. Masson is best known for his conclusions about Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis. In his book The Assault on Truth, Masson argues that Freud may have abandoned his seduction theory because he feared that granting the truth of his female patients' claims that they had been sexually abused would hinder the acceptance of his psychoanalytic methods.[...] In 1970, Masson began studying to become a psychoanalyst at the Toronto Psychoanalytic Institute, completing a full clinical training course in 1978. During this time, he befriended the psychoanalyst Kurt Eissler and became acquainted with Sigmund Freud's daughter Anna Freud. Eissler designated Masson to succeed him as Director of the Sigmund Freud Archives after his and Anna Freud's death. Masson learned German and studied the history of psychoanalysis. In 1980 Masson was appointed Projects Director of the Freud Archives, with full access to Freud's correspondence and other unpublished papers. While perusing this material, Masson concluded that Freud might have rejected the seduction theory in order to advance the cause of psychoanalysis and to maintain his own place within the psychoanalytic inner circle [...] In 1981, Masson's controversial conclusions were discussed in a series of New York Times articles by Ralph Blumenthal, to the dismay of the psychoanalytic establishment. Masson was subsequently dismissed from his position as project director of the Freud Archives. and stripped of his membership in psychoanalytic professional societies..."
I share in his interest to learn how familiar Vladimir Nabokov was with the Freudian theory and writings but, up to the present, I got no relevant clues about the extent of his readings. J. Masson's observation that "Nabokov himself fully understood the damage that Humbert Humbert did to his 12-year-old step-daughter. The book is in many ways profoundly moral" surprises me for, even before Freud and Ferenczi wrote on a "seduction theory," ordinary parents in the western world were perfectly able to evaluate (even when they didn't control or supress it) the damage an adult could inflict on a young child by precociously stimulating him/her .sexually. The high frequency in which nannies, governesses and close relatives mishandled their charges is fully documented by Freud and, together with parental omission, are part of a distressing situation that remains, in great part, unaltered. Preventive measures and parental enlightment are fundamental and, perhaps, this is what J.Masson claims has been Nabokov's Lolita's "profoundly moral" influence on society - I can only wonder about that.
In his response, Olaf Alhoven brings forth an interesting information about Freud's having been sexually molested as a child ( perhaps provoking dizzy spells in him, just like those suffered by John Shade: "I was corrupted, terrified, allured,/And though old doctor Colt pronounced me cured/Of what, he said, were mainly growing pains,/The wonder lingers and the shame remains.") and a wise comment in relation to Humbert-Lolita (there's "no compatibility between parenthood and sexuality" - if, by sexuality, we indicate a precocious genital arousal, which is something quite distinct from Sandor Ferenczi's vision about adult "language of tenderness").
There's no ready-made antidote to solve the problem of gossipy conjectures or of wild psychoanalytic interpretations on the loose. Open discussions with favorable or dissenting views may always be of help...
Search archive with Google:
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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/