美国国家公共电台 NPR Depicting Sexual Predators As Villains In Fiction Is Tricky

Depicting¹ Sexual Predators³ As Villains⁵ In Fiction Is Tricky 

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Now to a story about villains in literature - and this story may not be appropriate for our younger listeners.

When writers portray⁷ a pedophile, a rapist or a sexual predator² as a villain⁴, it can be complicated business because their actions are despicable. But written too broadly and the character is cartoonish, too deep and it makes the villain too sympathetic, which brings us to a legendary⁸ literary villain created by Vladimir Nabokov and the controversy⁹ that's followed the character for a half century. As part of our series on villains, Bad is Beautiful, NPR's Lynn Neary shows us how things have changed.

LYNN NEARY, BYLINE¹⁰: Nabakov's classic novel begins with a young girl's name, Lolita. She's the target of a much older man's obsession¹¹, Humbert Humbert, her sophisticated, charming stepfather. He not only repeatedly rapes¹³ her, he even takes her identity, discarding her real, more prosaic¹⁴ name, Dolores Haze¹⁵, in favor of the nickname he made up for her.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JEREMY IRONS: (Reading) Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul, Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.

NEARY: For more than 50 years, readers have been entranced by Nabokov's brilliant prose and biting black humor. And Humbert Humbert is considered one of the greatest fictional¹⁶ characters in literature. Crime novelist Laura Lippman first read the book as a teenager. She rereads "Lolita" every year.

LAURA LIPPMAN: As a character, he's terrific. He's charismatic. There is something horribly fascinating about seeing the world through Humbert's eyes. I mean, he's the best company you could have for a very dark and depraved story.

NEARY: But make no mistake, says Lippman, about who Humbert Humbert is.

LIPPMAN: Humbert is absolutely a villain because he knows, in some part of his brain that he's shouting down, that what he's doing is horrible and violent and criminal with complete indifference¹⁷ to another human being. And the human being, in this case, is one of the most vulnerable people you can imagine, a young girl whose mother has been killed.

ELLEN PIFER: Obviously, Humbert was considered a villain because the book was considered, I think, villainous.

NEARY: Ellen Pifer, a professor emeritus¹⁸ at the University of Delaware, is a Nabakov scholar who has taught "Lolita" many times over three decades. "Lolita" almost didn't get published in this country back in the 1950s. And once it was published, there were attempts to censor¹⁹ it. At the time, Pifer says, little was known about pedophilia. And when well-known writers and critics defended the book against censorship, they paid scant²⁰ attention to Lolita herself.

PIFER: In their defense²¹ of the novel as a work of art, there is a tendency to focus on Humbert - his passion, his love of art, his claim that he's bewitched by the nymphet - and less emphasis, less attention paid to the ruination of a child's childhood.

NEARY: The film depictions of "Lolita," says Pifer, especially Stanley Kubrick's 1962 version starring Sue Lyon, reinforced the image of the young girl as a precocious²² sex kitten.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "LOLITA")

JAMES MASON: (As Humbert Humbert) You know, I've missed you terribly.

SUE LYON: (As Lolita) I haven't missed you. But it doesn't matter a bit 'cause you've stop caring anyway.

MASON: (As Humbert Humbert) What makes you say I've stopped caring for you?

LYON: (As Lolita) Well, you haven't even kissed me yet, have you?

NEARY: Readers who know of the book only from the movies are sometimes shocked when they realized how very young Lolita is, just 12 years old, when Humbert first encounters her. And in recent years, Pifer says, attitudes towards Humbert have changed.

PIFER: I would say about 15 or 20 years ago, with our growing awareness²³ of child abuse, the scandals that - you know, in the Catholic Church and other things - that there has been more attention paid again to Humbert's villainy, to his perversity²⁴ and to the child's plight²⁵.

NEARY: When novelist Alice Sebold talks about Humbert, she doesn't mince²⁶ words.

ALICE SEBOLD: I think of him as a pedophile who knows right from wrong and commits wrong.

NEARY: There is one moment in the book, Sebold says, that seems to sum up Humbert at his worst. After having sex for the first time, he and Lolita are about to head out on their road trip around the country.

SEBOLD: He has this moment of reflection. And he says, it's as if I were sitting with a small ghost I had just killed. And I think that's an incredible line, and it's incredibly chilling. And so I think it's his awareness throughout the book that what he's doing is wrong but his consistent pursuit of doing it.

NEARY: Sebold told a story of a rape¹² from a different perspective when she created one of the most chilling villains in recent memory in her novel, "The Lovely Bones." Mr. Harvey, as she calls him, lures²⁷ a young girl who lives in his neighborhood into a secret hideout where he rapes and murders her. The dead girl narrates²⁸ the story. Like "Lolita," this book also begins with a name. But this time, it is spoken by the victim.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SEBOLD: (Reading) Chapter 1 - my name was Salmon²⁹, like the fish - first name, Susie. I was 14 when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.

NEARY: The name was important, Sebold says, because too often victims of sexual assault and rape go nameless.

SEBOLD: I'm very aware that without a name, they have no autonomy, they have no authority, they have no identity. People don't listen to you in the same way they do if you have a name. So it was very important for me to get that out right in the beginning of the book.

NEARY: Sebold wrote the book, in part, because she herself was raped³⁰. And she wanted the character of the murderer and rapist to feel very real.

SEBOLD: I wanted him to be human. You know, he's a man, and he also does this other thing. But it's much more frightening to think that he's a man that you could pass by on the street than if you just say, oh, he's a monster and get rid of him that way.

NEARY: Both Sebold and Nabokov humanize their villains, but books like "The Lovely Bones," says writer Laura Lippman, illustrate³¹ the shift in thinking since the era when "Lolita" was written.

LIPPMAN: We talk a lot about the male gaze. Among the writers I know, there's a real desire to turn the gaze back, to take the stories back, to say the story of a rape is more the story of the victim than the story of the rapist.

NEARY: There's no question, Lippman says, that "Lolita" will always be considered a great novel. And though she may loathe³² what Humbert Humbert does to Lolita, Lippman still can't put the book down. She plans to read "Lolita" again next year.

Lynn Neary, NPR News, Washington.

1 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

2 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

3 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

5 villains   

n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼

参考例句：

• The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

7 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

8 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

9 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

10 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

11 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

12 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

13 rapes   

n.芸苔( rape的名词复数 )；强奸罪；强奸案；肆意损坏v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的第三人称单数 )；强奸

参考例句：

• The man who had committed several rapes was arrested. 那个犯了多起强奸案的男人被抓起来了。 来自辞典例句
• The incidence of reported rapes rose 0.8 percent. 美国联邦调查局还发布了两份特别报告。 来自互联网

14 prosaic   

adj.单调的，无趣的

参考例句：

• The truth is more prosaic.真相更加乏味。
• It was a prosaic description of the scene.这是对场景没有想象力的一个描述。

15 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

16 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

17 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

18 emeritus   

adj.名誉退休的

参考例句：

• "Perhaps I can introduce Mr.Lake Kirby,an emeritus professor from Washington University?"请允许我介绍华盛顿大学名誉教授莱克柯尔比先生。
• He will continue as chairman emeritus.他将会继续担任荣誉主席。

19 censor   

n./vt.审查，审查员；删改

参考例句：

• The film has not been viewed by the censor.这部影片还未经审查人员审查。
• The play was banned by the censor.该剧本被查禁了。

20 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

21 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

22 precocious   

adj.早熟的；较早显出的

参考例句：

• They become precocious experts in tragedy.他们成了一批思想早熟、善写悲剧的能手。
• Margaret was always a precocious child.玛格丽特一直是个早熟的孩子。

23 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

24 perversity   

n.任性；刚愎自用

参考例句：

• She's marrying him out of sheer perversity.她嫁给他纯粹是任性。
• The best of us have a spice of perversity in us.在我们最出色的人身上都有任性的一面。

25 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

26 mince   

n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说

参考例句：

• Would you like me to mince the meat for you?你要我替你把肉切碎吗？
• Don't mince matters,but speak plainly.不要含糊其词，有话就直说吧。

27 lures   

吸引力，魅力（lure的复数形式）

参考例句：

• He left home because of the lures of life in the city. 他离家是由于都市生活的诱惑。
• Perhaps it is the desire for solitude or the chance of making an unexpected discovery that lures men down to the depths of the earth. 可能正是寻觅幽静的去处，或者找个猎奇的机会的欲望引诱着人们进入地球的深处。

28 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

29 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

30 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

31 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

32 loathe   

v.厌恶，嫌恶

参考例句：

• I loathe the smell of burning rubber.我厌恶燃着的橡胶散发的气味。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。