Lawrence's Views On The Novel Manifested In The Rainbow And Women In Love

Throughout his literary career, Lawrence has conducted substantial critical practice in forms of prefaces, reviews, correspondence, and miscellaneous essays that reflect his critical views on literature, in a rather unacademic but unique and insightful way. These critical views, ranging from the theory of the novel to the relation between morality and the novel, find best illustration in his own works. Lawrence's works often deal with the relationship between man and woman, the vice of the modern society and its dehumanizing effects over modern people. Lawrence's two important novels, The Rainbow and Women in Love, the latter being widely considered successive to the former, trace the love and marriage taking place in the three generations of the Brangwens along side the changes of times and society. These two novels are actually Lawrence's unremitting explorations of the ideal patterns of human relationships, with an emphasis on the relationship between man and woman.Whereas among the piles of incisive commentaries by Lawrence, the current thesis selects three of his most significant views concerning the art of novel—first, his unique perceptions of the morality of the novel while his works are constantly accused of lack of morality throughout his life; second, the three essential qualities of novel--"quick","interrelated", and"honorable"; third, the emphasis on the"privilege"of novel over science, philosophy or any other forms of art, in that it alone is capable of presenting the whole of life. It is the"book of life". The aim of the current study is to explore how these views are illustrated by two of his important novels: The Rainbow and Women in Love.The thesis first provides a terse introduction to D. H. Lawrence's life, the social and historical background of his time, his literary views, critique standing and unique philosophical approach of art and life. After a brief literature review concerning the current study, the author brings up the major purpose and content of the thesis in the end of this part.Chapter one studies Lawrence's unique perceptions of the morality of novel manifested in his artful and truthful portrait of the character Ursula and her relationships with two other characters in The Rainbow.Chapter two discusses Lawrence's theory of the three essential qualities of the novel:"the novel inherently is and must be: 1. Quick. 2. Interrelated in all its parts, vitally, organically. 3. Honorable"1, and analyzes how these three qualities are manifested in The Rainbow and Women in Love.Chapter three first expounds Lawrence's idea of the privilege of the novel over other forms of art, i.e. it can alone present"the whole of life"and let the self be fully manifested. Then it examines how this concern is reflected in his dealing with the two characters Gerald and Birkin representing the two conditions of the self respectively result from losing and achieving the star-equilibrium relationship in Women in Love.In the conclusion of the study, the author summarizes how Lawrence's major novels manifest his own views on the novel and how this study helps one to get a better understanding of Lawrence's works and a more complete knowledge of his literary achievements.