Schizophrenic Characters in Russian Literature:The Application of Freudian Theories to Nabokov’s Lolita

This study examines Nabokov's Lolita with an emphasis on analyzing the protagonist considering his split personality and schizophrenia. The most fruitful reading of Lolita may be achieved through Sigmund Freud's schizophrenia theory, or in a narrowed sense, his outstanding arrays on schizophrenia symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, thought and mental disorders. The protagonist’s psychological symptoms have been analyzed to show how schizophrenic he behaves in the novel. This study is descriptive-analytic and the selected work will be scrutinized through psychological approach. By receiving these textual signals, Freudian reading helps us distinguish between Humbert’s multi-identity and the implied author. To conclude, textual signals in the discourse including Humbert’s alleged insanity, direct addresses to the reader, and his use of language were taken into consideration. The high number of textual signals of unreliability detected in the discourse provides ample evidence for Humbert’s unreliability. Only when a person correctly deals with the relationship among his id, ego, superego and the outside world, will he upgrade his personality and approach closer to perfect human dignity.

کلیدواژه ها:

Schizophrenia ، Lolita ، Humbert ، Unreliable Narrator ، Nabokov