"There are two books whose final lines make me cry without fail, irrespective of how many times I read them," Rowling told BBC Radio 4. "One is 'Lolita.'"

(The other one, based on the context of the interview, seems to be "Emma.")

Like many other admirer's of Nabokov's novel of a pedophile who pursues a 12-year-old girl, Rowling loves it for the writing style.

"There just isn't enough time to discuss how a plot that could have been the most worthless pornography becomes, in Nabakov's hands, a great and tragic love story, and I could exhaust my reservoir of superlatives trying to describe the quality of the writing," she said.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/jk-rowling-favorite-books-2016-7?op=1#lolitaby-vladimir-nabokov-19

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 172 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Like many other admirer's of Nabokov's novel of a pedophile who pursues a 12-year-old girl, Rowling loves it for the writing style.

Oh ok, fair enough. Not an especially controversial take.

"There just isn't enough time to discuss how a plot…becomes…a great and tragic love story

Oh…oh no…

[–] BitchPeas@lemmy.world 127 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

She missed the whole point. The great writing is what is supposed to make you realize that you can be manipulative by narrative to condone evils. Stupid.

[–] TheDoozer@lemmy.world 27 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I feel like George R.R. Martin was doing that with incest. Starts out with shocking incest between twins, and then spend a bunch of books getting you used to the idea until you find yourself reluctantly cheering for a dude hooking up with his aunt.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

cheering for a dude hooking up with his aunt.

Which dude, exactly?

Only one example immediately springs to mind, but that hasn't happened yet in the books. And the way it happened in the show, I'm not sure was executed very well, but I don't think it was really portrayed as a case where we "cheer for a dude". He barely seemed into it, definitely not as much as she was.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago

I've given up on anything happening in the books ever again.

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