Writing Quote by Vladimir Nabokov
““Annabel was, like the writer, of mixed parentage: half-English, half-Dutch, in her case. I remember her features far less distinctly today than I did a few years ago, before I knew Lolita. There are two kinds of visual memory: one when you skillfully recreate an image in the laboratory of your mind, with your eyes open (and then I see Annabel in such general terms as: "honey-colored skin," "thin arms," "brown bobbed hair," "long lashes," "big bright mouth"); and the other when you instantly evoke, with shut eyes, on the dark innerside of your eyelids, the objective, absolutely optical replica of a beloved face, a little ghost in natural colors (and this is how I see Lolita).””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, 1955
The passage contrasts two types of visual memory: deliberate reconstruction versus vivid, involuntary recall of a beloved face.
In simple terms: Two ways we remember faces: conscious detail and instinctive image.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how memory shapes perception of people.
Themes
memory
perception
identity
Mood
reflective
introspective
Type
literary
psychological
When to use this quote
- reading literature
- artistic description
- psychology research
Key Concepts
visual cognition
nostalgia
subjectivity
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your memory of a person change over time?
- Which type of visual recall feels more authentic?
A Different Perspective
Memory can be unreliable and colored by emotion.
![“There are two kinds of visual memory: one when you skillfully recreate an image in the laboratory of your mind, [...]; and the other when you instantly evoke, with shut eyes, on the dark innerside of your eyelids, the objective, absolutely optical replica of a beloved face, a little ghost in…” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e09/vladimir-nabokov-198_memory_there-are-two-kinds-of-visual-memory-one_112730.jpg)
![“...under no circumstances would he [Humbert Humbert] have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row.” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f0/vladimir-nabokov-198_children_under-no-circumstances-would-he-humbert_16228.jpg)
