Why “Space Lolita”?

TW: General talk of pedophilia

For my site name, I use “Lolita” as a reference to the character in Vladimir Nabokov’s classic novel, not the fashion or sketchy trope. I believe Padme Amidala embodies the robbed humanity of the character in both in-text and meta ways.

I have two essays on the term: 

“Space Lolita I: The Empty Queen” takes on Padme’s denied humanity in the meta sense, psychoanalyzing George Lucas and select costume choices. 

“Space Lolita II: Daisy Fresh Girl” parallels Lolita and Padme’s narratives, arguing for Padme as a girl split in two by her dual last names: Amidala and Naberrie.

Note: A sister essay to “The Empty Queen” is “Natalie Portman, Woman-Girl” which puts Padme in the context of Portman’s wider career and reputation. All of these essays can be read separately.

I’m not arguing Padme was written as a sexualized child, nor am I accusing anyone involved in her creation of sex crimes. Pedophilia and predation are still very much a topic in these essays. Trigger warnings throughout.

The following disclaimer appears in some form in both of my “Space Lolita” essays: 

I vividly remember inviting a friend over, said friend seeing my copy of The Annotated Lolita and them casually referring to Vladimir Nabokov as “some dirty old man.” So let’s be clear: Lolita is a book knowingly told from a villain’s point of view. The contrast between the beautiful language and horrid acts, between Humbert Humbert’s description of ‘Lolita’ and what we know to be true (she is a scared, vulnerable 12-year-old girl named Dolores) is the point.

I know for anyone who’s actually read the book, the above was a useless and overly defensive disclaimer. Yet I am constantly reminded of this book’s ugly reputation. My friend was smart and not malicious. They still fell victim to a centuries worth of ignorant cover designs and ill-fated movie adaptations. Such cultural mythology is nothing but a curse. In some other dimension I can cut all this handwringing out and get to the real reason people should read Lolita: it’s a murder mystery. One of the greatest murder mysteries ever written, told by the greatest unreliable narrator put to paper. The real murder haunting every page and the metaphorical murder of Dolores Haze entwine brilliantly. It is this aspect of Lolita—the way it narrates a complete dehumanization—that informs my Padme writing and comparisons most.