A Dialogic Perspective Of Women In Love

Women in Love has been universally regarded as one of D. H. Lawrence's finest achievements. Due to the originality and complexity on the levels of theme, structure, characterization and language, the novel stirs the critical circle immediately upon its publication in 1920. Though a number of modes of criticism have been undertaken in connection with this novel, its dialogic nature is little mentioned. This thesis tends to approach Women in Love from a dialogic perspective based on Bakhtin. It discusses how D. H. Lawrence constitutes plots, characters, and language in a dialogic way that demonstrates the relations at the linguistic, structural and ideological levels.The thesis consists of five parts:The introduction offers (1) a brief introduction to Women in Love and a literary review of the studies done so far; (2) a survey of Bakhtin's dialogism and its relation with the novel.Chapter One analyses the novel's structure and theme. The complexity of Women in Love lies largely in the diversity of the theme, which is matched and further strengthened by the structure. In the novel, Lawrence breaks the consistency and roundness of traditional arrangements of plots, making the whole work rather like the juxtaposition and accumulation of dozens of life scenes. The open ending of the novel suggests that the problems the novel has presented can never be finally answered.Chapter Two studies the dialogic relationships between the four major characters - Birkin and Ursula, Gerald and Gudrun, Birkin and Gerald, with an attempt to reveal that without the constant interchanges with others, the characters can not identify themselves, express themselves, and experiencethemselves.Chapter Three explores the language of the novel. Words themselves are confusing and full of changes. The meaning of words can only be defined through context, and through their association with other words. In Women in Love, language not only acts as the means of communication, but also embodies the users' world view.The conclusion part summarizes the novel's dialogic nature and Lawrence's originality.