Concetti Chiave
- David Herbert Lawrence was deeply influenced by his close relationship with his mother, who encouraged him to pursue education instead of a miner's life.
- Lawrence's works often reflect his opposition to the mechanistic aspects of industrial society and his emphasis on emotional life and natural impulses.
- Sons and Lovers is a semi-autobiographical novel exploring the complex Oedipal relationship between Paul and his mother, affecting his future relationships.
- The novel highlights the conflict between intellectual aspirations and the harsh realities of industrial life, as exemplified by the Morel family dynamics.
- Lawrence's characters often grapple with opposing forces, such as personal desires versus societal roles, illustrating his critique of industrial civilisation.
David Herbert Lawrence (1885-1930)
Lawrence was born in 1885 from a miner and a schoolteacher. He had a very close relationship with his mother, who always encouraged him to study and leave his destiny as a miner. He managed to be accepted to the Nottingham University College, where he studied to become a teacher. In 1910, his mother died, and Lawrence continued teaching until 1912 when he was forced to quit his job due to an attack of pneumonia.
He eloped, and then married, the German wife of a colleague; even if during WWI, their German and British marriage was not well seen. In his last years, he travelled throughout the world and died in France of TB.
Themes
Lawrence gave great importance to emotional life. His view of life was against the mechanistic aspects of industrial society and he analysed the relations between the sexes. He thus gave great importance to sex and its impulses, which were seen as natural and as what could save oneself from self-destruction. As a modernist writer, he limited authorial interventions and described stories for the characters’ points of view.
Sons and Lovers (1913)
Sons and Lovers is a semi-autobiographical novel, which narrates the story of Paul’s family and in particular his Oedipal relationship with his mother, Mrs Morel, who is well educated and represents what Paul aims to become. On the other hand, Mr Morel is a miner and slowly becomes violent towards his wife and children, and thus estranges himself from his own family. This troubled relationship will highly influence Paul’s capability to approach women and to have a stable relationship with them. This happens with his first girlfriend, Miriam, who incarnates spiritual love. He then has an affair with the married, Clara, who fulfils his sexual desires. After his mother’s death, Paul is torn between committing suicide or leave his past behind.
Themes
With this novel, Lawrence expresses his passion for everything that is natural and consequent hate towards industrialisation and civilisation. The characters are often attached to an opposite, for example, Mrs Morel who was at first attracted to Mr Morel for his being different from her intellectual world; but now feels relegated to a housewife’s role she doesn’t feel like her own, and for this reason she envies Miriam, who can truly express herself.
Domande da interrogazione
- Qual è l'importanza della relazione di Lawrence con sua madre nella sua vita e carriera?
- Quali sono i temi principali esplorati da Lawrence nelle sue opere?
- Come viene rappresentata la relazione di Paul con le donne in "Sons and Lovers"?
Lawrence aveva un rapporto molto stretto con sua madre, che lo incoraggiò a studiare e a non seguire il destino di minatore. Questo legame influenzò profondamente la sua vita e le sue opere, come si riflette nel romanzo "Sons and Lovers".
Lawrence esplorava l'importanza della vita emotiva, criticava gli aspetti meccanicistici della società industriale e analizzava le relazioni tra i sessi, dando grande importanza al sesso e ai suoi impulsi come mezzo di salvezza personale.
La relazione di Paul con le donne è influenzata dal suo rapporto edipico con la madre. Ha difficoltà a stabilire relazioni stabili, come si vede con Miriam, che rappresenta l'amore spirituale, e Clara, che soddisfa i suoi desideri sessuali.
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