D.H. Lawrence, essayist and novelist, Appunti di Letteratura Inglese

Scarica D.H. Lawrence, essayist and novelist e più Appunti in PDF di Letteratura Inglese solo su Docsity! D.H. Lawrence He was a novelist, essayist, poet, playwright and a painter. He is one of the most influential and controversial artists, many of his works were censored because deemed sexually explicit. He didn’t enjoy a good reputation: he was criticized from many aspects and by very known artist as Virginia Woolf and T.S.Elliot. He was told he could not be a good writer because of his poor education, his life was characterized by existential quest, he was in between modernism and romanticism that can be noticed in his novels from the alternation of city and country. He travelled a lot, there is a strong connection between his personal experience and his works which in many cases are similar. Writing is for Lawrence a kind of therapy to overcome his problems. He was born in 1885 in the Nottingham shire, his father was a miner as the father in Sons and Lovers, his mother instead belonged to middle-class. The difference in background soon became a problem, she was overprotective. Lawrence wasn’t interested in working in the mines, he was an intellectual. Growing up there influenced him as a novelist, for it gave him the first incentive to start writing. His works contain a strong response against industrialization, he can be considered a Green Artist. He was fond of books, he was not very sociable. In 1901 his brother William died and his mother turned all her attention to him, which made his relationships with women impossible. In 1905 he worked as a teacher and he started writing, he has his first love affair. In 1906 he left Eastwood to go and study in university college of Nottingham but he had to leave it. In 1909 he received positive critics. In 1910 his mother got cancer and died. He was free. In 1911 he wrote The White Peacock. In 1912 his life changes, he went to visit and old professor of his and he fell in love with his wife Frida, who leaves the husband and her three children to run with Lawrence. Frida was the opposite in respect of other women he met, she wasn’t a traditional womam but she was more involved sexually (against the Victorian society). She introduced the Freudian theories to him, he talked to her about his problem and she finds out that he suffers from Oedipus Complex. In 1913 he published Sons and Lovers, criticism was harsh and the novel was censored, for it seemed too sexually explicit. In 1915 he published The Rainbow defined as obscene banned. He wants to bring change and liberation from taboos. He then spent some time in Garsington manor with some of the Bloomsbury group artists as Virginia Woolf and T.S.Eliot. This period was very tormented because of: 1. Censorship 2. Victim of anti-German feelings (Frida was German) 3. He was ill 4. He was still searching for his place Critical opinions: 1. In and out of fashion 2. Great revival in the ’60 and the ‘70 3. Hard to categorize 4. Variety in quality 5. He suffered criticism He finds a new language to describe feelings that are hidden. Sons and Lovers Main characters: 1. Gertrude (mother) 2. Walter Morell (father) 3. William Morell (brother) 4. Paul Morell (Lawrence) 5. Miriam Leivers (first lover) 6. Clara Dawes (inspired by Frida??) The story starts with the marriage which will be an unsuccessful one. Gertrude was obsessive with William but he dies so she turns all her attention to Paul. At this point Paul experiences a dilemma: he wants to leave his mother but he can’t do that. He meets Miriam but his mother doesn’t approve the relationship. Than he meets Clara, who is much more passionate and physical. When Gertrude dies, Paul has to make a decision. This novel had a very complex genesis, the original title was Paul Morell, then Lawrence started a second version which was called Paul Morell II. Which genre does this work belong to? It can be considered autobiographical, for it embodies the life of the author, but it is also a Bildungsroman, a Kunstlerroman. Major themes: 1. Relationship between men and women 2. Oedipus complex 3. Open and honest discussion on sex 4. Love for nature 5. Criticism against industrialization 6. Use of dialect Lawrence was also essayist, he wrote Why the novel matters?, an essay on writing. He discusses the importance of the novel; he claims that among all the types of work, the novel is superior and thus the novelist is superior. He also provides a reason for that, all the others are masters of little bits, while the novelist gets the whole. The novel is the bright book of life. For him the bible is a confused novel. The Horse Dealer’s Daughter The work of controversial English author D. H. Lawrence explores human nature through explicit sexual descriptions and intense psychological dialogue. Lawrence's short fiction often reflects his dark experiences of growing up in a radical and industrial England. World War I also had a strong impact on Lawrence - through much of his work, he uses a continuing symbolic cycle of life and death to display how new life can be given to individuals or societies of the verge of despair. Specifically, in his work of short fiction titled "The Horse-Dealer's Daughter," Lawrence displays the redemption of a traditionally English society through a love affair between the town doctor and a girl whom he rescues from committing suicide. In this story, Lawrence abandons the romantic style that such a story would typically embrace by illuminating the deeply conflicting emotions of the two characters. He suggests that the need felt by both of these characters to be loved drives their actions throughout the story. Lawrence argues that the universal need to be loved is often confused when emotions and expectations collide; however these two disparate feelings are reconciled in Lawrence's world when the female assumes a dominant role and expresses her desire for love and the male submissively fulfills her expectations. Mabel is the daughter of a horse dealer who has recently died and left the family in debt. Mabel's mother had died some time before this, and her brothers plan to move away. Mabel's brothers do not concern themselves with her - her only option is to move in with her sister and become a servant. In such a depressed and apathetic state, Mabel often visits her mother's grave to decorate it with flowers. On one such occasion, a young doctor named Jack Ferguson watches her from a distance. She leaves the grave, walks through a field, and proceeds to walk directly into a lake. Jack watches her from afar, stupefied, and when she does not surface, he quickly runs in after her and saves her. Jack brings her to the house, where he takes off her wet clothes and wraps her in blankets by a warm fire. Upon awakening, Mabel is confused and asks Jack if he was the one who saved her from the lake and undressed her. When Jack responds that it was him, she asks if he loves her. She then begins to insist - she grabs on to him and says repeatedly "you love me, you love me, I know you love me, I know." Jack is shocked and does not know how to respond. Mabel begins to kiss him, passionately, still repeating "you love me" over and over, until finally, Jack responds that he does. An in-depth analysis of Mabel's character illustrates how her actions and demands for Jack's love are solely based on her emotional state. When Mabel, who feels her life is void and worthless, walks into the lake to end her life, she does not wish for anyone to rescue her. However, when Jack automatically jumps into the frigid waters to save her, not even knowing how to swim, he is acting in terms of his obligation to her as a doctor. Jack is also a human being who assumes that Mabel wants to be saved. Mabel feels the only reason Jack felt compelled to save her is because he loves her, while Jack feels he was simply doing his job. This division is only unified when Mabel assumes the dominant role. She forces the idea of love onto Jack. She repeats the phrase "you love me, I know you love me." Mabel believes that because Jack saved her from the lake, carried her to the house and undressed her by the fire that he is essentially assuming responsibility for her and therefore he must plan to continue caring for her. This resonates deeply with Mabel, especially during this depressed and insecure time in her life where her future is uncertain and her family members are indifferent of her fate.