D.h. Lawrence Mythology And Its Cultural Significance

The assessment to D. H. Laurence (1885-1930) and his works are still in disputation so far. This disputation mostly comes from the critics' different points of view, which consider scarcely of the unique personality of Laurence especially. Lawrence's personality has been brought up not only in a world-wide complicated cultural background but also in a specific existing experience. This paper attempts to explore the original mythical metaphors in Laurence's novels and stories and interprets their cultural significances, then put Laurence's personality evolvement and his literary life into a new horizon. The full paper divides into four parts mainly.The first part expounds the relation between Laurence and the Oedipus mythology. The Oedipus mythology is a key factor for Laurence's personality and the starting points of his thoughts. It concerns Laurence's childhood family relationship, view of love and marriage and the forming and development of its social philosophy. The Oedipus mythology has bred "murder father, marry mother" culture motive since Greek mythology. Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis, uses this motive (the Oedipus complex) to interpret a personality psychology characteristic in one's childhood. The surprising consistency with Oedipus Complex in Lawrence's autobiographical novel sons and lovers, reveals the author's personality characteristic of "murder father, marry mother". Laurence realized the alienation of the human nature and lead to the out-of-balance in sexual relations due to modern industry civilization from his own life experience. Hence he formed his social philosophy view of criticizing the industry civilization, and advocated naturally harmonious individual character.The second part analyses the relation between Laurence and the sun mythology. The core of the mythology is the sun worships. It advocates that the sun is the father of all the mankind and every species. In Laurence's image of the modern society, the western civilization is in the crisis of declining for the destruction of the mechanical civilization. This is just because the male's life origin-sex ability is declining. To the disappointment of the European civilization, Laurence believed modern mankind needed to restore their natural vigor in the help of the ancient religion -The sun worships. This kind of belief let him choose the sun mythology as the main way to rescue the modem world finally. This philosophy view reflects a lot in Laurence's novels in middle period. These works show some of male chauvinism and primal sexual activities, while expressing Laurence's philosophy views, but the connection comes form the doctrine of the production of the earth and human being in the sun mythology.The third part discusses the relation between Laurence and Diana worship mythology. Diana is the symbol of the forest. Her flamen is the patron saint of the forest. The image of " the game keeper" is presented frequently from Lawrence's early works to his later works. The image of "the game keeper" comes from the description of the flamen in the Golden Bough obviously. First of all, it is the symbol of the human nature and paganism; Secondly, the game keeper is a metaphor as theflamen. " the game keeper" not only embodies the Panic natural wild and vigor but also is exactly the patron saint of the paganism spirit and nature which is opposite to modern industry civilization. The images of game keepers such as these in the works the White Peacock and Lady Chatterley's Lover are the ideal new human being in Laurence's world. In addition, the theme of rebirth in Diana worship mythology is also an important key to reach the thoughts of Laurence. Lawrence expressed his views on life and death through the immortal Panic image.The fourth part argues the cultural meaning of Laurence's mythical complex. It is not accidental and casual to Laurence's so numerous and complicated mythical complex. There is a mythologism rises in western art field 20th century. The reason for mythologism rises in the trend of modernism comes from i...