The History of Literature 739 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (#14 GBOAT) | Johannes Gutenberg (with Eric Marshall White)
Oct 9, 2025
Eric Marshall White, a rare books librarian and author, discusses Johannes Gutenberg's innovations in printing and the myths surrounding his life. Jenny Minton Quigley shares insights into the editorial journey of Nabokov's controversial novel, Lolita, and the risks taken to publish it. Novelist Jim Shepard reflects on Lolita's impact on literature and its narrative techniques. Joshua Ferris delves into Nabokov's disdain for Freud and how it influenced interpretations of his work. The conversation weaves together the threads of literary history with modern implications.
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Nabokov's 'Sob In The Spine'
- Vladimir Nabokov said he didn't aim to affect hearts or minds but to produce 'that little sob in the spine' of the artistic reader.
- That remark captures his artist-first ethos toward Lolita and other works.
Gutenberg's Monument Versus Historical Reality
- Eric White argues Gutenberg's cultural myth outgrew the actual scale and immediate impact of his work.
- Gutenberg started an important European tradition but did not single-handedly create modern mass publishing.
Printing Evolved After Gutenberg
- Gutenberg's method seeded a rapid spread of printing but later technologies and different formats transformed books further.
- Fifteenth-century printed books targeted literate elites, not mass affordable readerships.
