Concetti Chiave
- Lawrence's personal life and travels influenced his literary works, with significant experiences in Germany, Italy, Australia, and Mexico.
- His philosophical views emphasized the importance of physical relationships and dualistic naturalism, highlighting the inherent conflict between masculine and feminine principles.
- Lawrence critiqued industrialization and materialism, believing they harmed the human spirit and society by prioritizing wealth over meaningful human connections.
- He sought to reform society by reestablishing genuine relationships, particularly through sexual intimacy, which he viewed as vital for human fulfillment.
- In his writing, Lawrence utilized techniques like omniscient narration and sensory language to create a musical and immersive narrative experience.
Childhood and Marriage
He was born at Eastwood. His father was a miner.
He married a schoolteacher, Lydia Beardsall. Anyway, their marriage was unhappy and she did not want her children to work in mines.
Lawrence studied hard to become a teacher. He begins to write poetry and published the novel The White Peacock.
He loved her mother and wrote about their special relationship in Sons and Lovers.
He met and fell in love with Freida von Richtofen, a German woman. They escaped to Germany and Italy and then married but World War I complicated their marriage.
He wrote The Rainbow, Women in love.
He travelled a lot and published Kangaroo when he was in Australia and The Plumed Serpent when in Mexico. He died in 1930 in the South of France.
In a letter to Ernest Collings in 1913 Lawrence states that his great religion is a belief in the flesh
He stresses the importance of flesh over the word.
He was interested into the relationship between a man and woman.
In his view, women were just a principle of continuance, and man can find his fulfillment in a woman.
His philosophy is Naturalistic (pantheism and animism), and his naturalism is dualistic in the sense that reality only exists as a “pair of opposites” (darkness and light, male and female, mind and senses).
The masculine, active principle, is always opposed to feminine, passive principle.
This dualism means conflict, the two sides are in struggle.
This conflict is described by Lawrence as ‘Polarity’.
The prime example of polarity is the polarity of sexes, so the difference between men and women is to be maintained.
He states that the man who is too gentle and tender is denying his own manhood.
He considered women as an instrument for mankind’s happiness.
Critique of Modern Society
He condemns industrialization and materialism that destroy the human soul. So, man is obsessed by money-power and this condition leads to the “ugliness” of the society.
He wanted to reform society. The industrial system was so strong that there was little that he could do but run, he wanted to escape.
This kind of civilization makes relationships among men impossible, because they are regulated by the Cash-Nexus.
Importance of Sexual Relationships
Lawrence wants to restore into life the sympathy between men and women.
Since Sex is a good way to create close relationships, sexual experience is fundamental in Lawrence, as the best and most immediate way to come into intimacy.
Of all the natural impulses, the sexual one is the strongest, so only sex can save humanity form self-destruction.
Lawrence employed the traditional omniscient narrator. The point of view is generally that of the characters who are portrayed through techniques of showing and telling. He uses rhymes, repetitions, alliterations, assonances that convey a musical effect. He also uses words and images linked to senses.
Domande da interrogazione
- What was the nature of D.H. Lawrence's marriage to Lydia Beardsall, and how did it influence his views on relationships?
Lawrence's marriage to Lydia Beardsall was unhappy, which influenced his exploration of relationships in his work. He believed in the importance of flesh over words and emphasized the polarity between men and women, viewing women as a principle of continuance and an instrument for mankind's happiness.
Accedi a tutti gli appunti
Tutor AI: studia meglio e in meno tempo
