Flicka, sönderbruten. Om den hypertextuella relationen mellan Sara Stridsbergs "Darling River" och Vladimir Nabokovs "Lolita"

Abstract

This thesis examines the hypertextual relationship between Sara Stridsberg’s "Darling River" and its hypotext, Vladimir Nabokov’s "Lolita", with the goal of mapping how their thematic common denominators interact. Through a combination of Max Black's theory of interactive metaphors, Gérard Genette's hypertextual framework, primarily regarding transposition and continuation, and Kjell Espmark's theory of textual dialogicity, the analysis delves into Stridsberg's different variations of Dolores and Humbert as well as the thematic clusters of travel, abuse, twisted love, obsession, and absent mothers, using them as a filter to examine how they simultaneously illuminate and are illuminated by the original characters and themes. This reading leads to a deeper understanding of both works, both of how the hypertextual transformation highlights originally obscure aspects of the hypotext, and of the vital context the hypotext provides for a more complete interpretation of the hypertext.