Chapter 2:

Summary

Sound: Different sounds have different effects when placed near each other. Repetition of sounds creates power. For example, in one line Clark points out, Nabokov uses the words "light," "life," and "fire" which all have a long vowel sound and helps them stand out. Another example is Nabokov's line "My sin, my soul," which uses alliteration but the "s" sounds also rub uncomfortably against each other.

Names: Names are important, especially in fiction. Obscure place names stand out, as Clark identifies the second part of Lolita where there are a plethora of hotels, attractions, diners, etc. throughout America. Names have background, history, and purposes, which Clark uses Lolita herself to show, who has five different name varients that she (or others) use for various purposes.

Story: The type of narrative structure that a writer uses drives the story in different ways. For example, Lolita functions as a "How" narrative instead of a "What" narrative since the third paragraph in the opening of the story gives hint to exactly what will happen over the course of the story: murder. By doing this, Nabokov drives readers to want to know how things come to be as most will not just stop at knowing that someone was murdered.

Meaning: The meaning of a text is something that can only be answered by the text itself, not something simple. In the case of Lolita, that question is framed in the opening as a plea to a jury as, roughly, "If perfect angels could not resist Lolita, then how could the imperfect Humbert Humbert possibly resist her?" That answer is complicated and can only be determined by actually reading through the text.

Writing Lessons

1. Language exists first as a set of symbolic sounds. Written language comes much later to signify those sounds, twice removed from the thing itself, a sign of a sign. Stay in tune with the oral and aural forms of stories. When you find strong passages such as the ones in this book, read them aloud before you X-ray them. Then stay in the habit of reading your own texts aloud (a) to hear strengths and weaknesses, (b) to test for rhythm and tone, (c) to hear the voice, and (d) to play the music of the words.
2. In your research, hunt for and gather the names of the things you write about. Get the name of the dog, the make and model of the sports car, the brand of the beer. Ask over and over: What is that called? Does it have a name? Names have a special language and cultural power when expressed in lists, catalogs, phone books, litanies, yearbooks, rosters, ships' logs, and blogs. A name is a tool to project an overview of character, ethnicity, generation, gender. When you are reading fiction, imagine that every syllable of every name has a meaning. Why does the lover of Lolita have the same first and last name?
3. In your reading and writing, zero in on the kind of narrative before you. A What narrative requires elements such as cliffhangers to propel the reader from one part to another; a How narrative, in effect, gives away the ending, or at least seems to. When that ending becomes known early to readers, it propels other questions. Not just how but also why.
4. Meaning is secured at the end of a reader's journey through a text. Ask yourself if your work has an engine, a question that can only be answered by continuing to read the story to its end. We want to know who will live and who will die; who will win and who will lose; who will wind up in the mansion and who is headed for the poorhouse.

Critique

There is definite controvery surrounding Lolita being taught in schools due to its content and themes, but that doesn't mean its writing lessons cannot be taught. The key ideas that Clark pulls from the text are general enough that a writing lesson could be done without the need for Lolita. If the teacher and/or school district allows the text to be taught, all the better, but the key ideas can easily be taught without it.

This chapter leans heavily onto the creative side of things, calling to mind the creativity habit of mind, the metacognition habit of mind, and the "knowledge of conventions" (1) experience from the "Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing." The four areas that Clark discusses work themselves up in the manner of broadness, going from very specific (sound) to very broad (meaning of the text). A good writer should know how to use language and sounds so that when something is read it produces a certain feel. A good writer should also be able to get creative with names and story. A good writer should also be able to reflect on the text to discern its overall meaning as well as explore things such as meaning of names, assuming that you choose to name characters with a purpose.

The chapter's main flaw is that its main focus is on fiction and creative texts. Several aspects can be used broadly such as the tip to read your written text out loud and to guarantee that the meaning of your text can only be secured by reading until the end, but for the most part, everything leans primarily to fiction and creative texts.