Unconventional Love

As stated in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “the course of love never did run smooth.” The majority have experienced hardships within relationships and are aware that, in many cases, it is these individualistic quirks that form the adhesives to a healthy and strong long-lasting love. The word ‘love’ itself could be seen as merely an umbrella term, which houses much unconventionality on many levels. However, something with such intense depth and hazard has many potential outcomes, and not all can be predicted. Literature provides a creative insight into these whimsicalities, and makes for impelling and educational entertainment for literary enthusiasts. Love, by its very nature, is universal, yet the individual types are largely not, calling upon writers to introduce us to refreshing concepts within the love subdivision by using an array of effective literary techniques to aid our understanding. Dickens, Shakespeare and Nabokov all depict endemic versions of invigorating and taboo subjects by means of imagery, language and characterisation - all displayed in their celebrated texts. Through highly original narratives and creative flare, readers encounter love in its most unconventional of forms, and these shall be examined in this essay.
Lolita, written by Vladimir Nabokov was published in the 1950s, and has overriding theme of paradox. Nabokov delves into the concept of unconventional love with a sophisticated and flamboyant prose style as he tells the story of protagonist and middle-aged literature professor, Humbert Humbert, and his pursuit of twelve-year-old Delores Haze. Tackling the unnerving subject matter of hebephila, Lolita attained a classic status after its publication, becoming one of the best-known and most controversial novels of twentieth century literature. Throughout the novel, Nabokov presents unconventional love through chromatic language, rich narratives and a colourful supporting cast, forming a contrast of adoration and immorality