An Analysis Of Subjects And Artistic Techniques Of Women In Love

David Herbert Lawrence occupies a decisive position in the history of England and even world literature. He was one of the greatest writers in the England in the 20th century. He wrote multiple novels, among which Women in Love is one of his significant representatives. His works threw him into a controversial predicament. His novels were always blamed and criticized for too many vivid descriptions of sex. But they are eventually accepted and favored by the world. When the capitalist industry was developing rapidly in Britain, the natural environment and interpersonal relationship became more and more inharmonious. Lawrence hopes that he can wake the sleeping British people in his own way by bitterly attacking the middle class. This novel is considered as one of the most important works in the 20th century European literature.As a companion volume of The Rainbow, Women in Love continues the story of Ursula and Gudrun. Lawrence explores problems in the society from the hatred and love between Gerald and Gudrun, Birkin and Ursula. From a special perspective, Lawrence combines the subtle mental analysis with the poignant social criticism, unfolding the complicated inner world and crimes of capitalist industry. Since the novel was first published in 1920, numerous scholars have studied and analyzed it from prototype theory, ecocriticism, feminism and other perspectives. But it is of great value to analyze the novel from the perspective of artistic techniques. The thesis will dig into its writing features from three aspects and ways of how to express the subject with them.There are three parts in the thesis:the introduction, the main body and the conclusion.The first part is the introduction. It briefly describes the life of Lawrence, the historical background, main plots of the novel as well as the researches and reviews at home and abroad.The second part is the main body of the thesis, and it consists of three chapters.The first chapter focuses on the origins of Lawrence’s sexual philosophy and the subjects of Women in Love. His sexual philosophy is mostly influenced by Nietzsche, Bergson and Freud. The novel mainly illustrates that the industrial revolution has devastated the human-nature and gender relationship, suppressing human’s inner feelings.The second chapter is about one popular figure of speech—symbolism in the novel. This chapter introduces the concept of symbolism and symbolic meanings conveyed by the objects, scenes and colors. They are used to elaborate the figures’characteristics, mental activities and development of plots.The third chapter delves deeply into the main narrative perspectives used in the novel. There are omniscient point of view and shifting limited point of view, by which Lawrence successfully fulfills the description of figures’ appearances and inner thoughts.The fourth chapter will try to probe into the free indirect discourse. Being a major way of mental description, it embodies the subtle activities buried in figure’s deep heart.The conclusion, the last part of the thesis, makes a summary of the whole content. It sums up the superb writing techniques Lawrence uses in Women in Love, together with its practical values. Although the thesis is a tentative illustration of the novel, it still has great warning and enlightenment significance for people today.