How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Humbert tried hard to be good. Really and truly, he did. He had the utmost respect for ordinary children, with their purity and vulnerability, and under no circumstances would he have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row. (1.5.9)
This is a typical Humbert sentence. He loves to defend his ways, but ends up expressing something altogether different: he just doesn't want to get caught.
Quote #2
[…] it was she who seduced me. (1.29.12)
OK, this one's a real shocker. After all of his plans, Lolita is the one who makes the first move. Do we even believe him?!
Quote #3
This was a lone child, an absolute waif, with whom a heavy-limbed, foul-smelling adult had had strenuous intercourse three times that very morning. (1.32.25)
Sometimes Humbert manages to express some objectivity. Rather than seeing himself as a devilishly handsome movie actor, he sees himself for the beast he really is.