Pursuit Of "Spontaneous Living"

David Herbert Lawrence was an English novelist,critic,poet,and painter in the 20^thcentury.And Expressionism was a literary and artistic movement that emerged in Germany at the beginning of the 20^thcentury.Although Lawrence was not one of the Expressionists,his spiritual pursuits were highly consistent with the Expressionism.They both sought to express their spiritual world through literary and artistic creations,and propagate their thoughts on modern society and humanity by their works.They aimed to reveal the essence of things,so as to free mankind from the dehumanized society and eventually return to Man himself.Painting and poetry,as the only two artistic creations that lasted throughout Lawrence’s creative career,are highly intertextual in themes and artistic techniques,which have characteristics that are obviously Expressionist.Therefore,it is better to study Lawrence’s poetry under the context of his paintings,in order to reveal the pursuit of Lawrence’s artistic creations,and to interpret his poetry in a whole and integrated level.In Introduction,the background of this thesis is introduced,as well as the literature review,the theoretical bases and structure of this thesis,and the argument of the thesis.In Chapter One,Lawrence’s focus on personal emotions in terms of his subjectivization in painting and writing creation is analyzed,by pointing out his autobiographical style,and comparing his paintings with poems about his young experiences.In Chapter Two,his pursuit of love and sex instincts in his artistic creation is demonstrated,as well as his aim of regenerating the life-force in human body and reestablishing a balanced relationship between male and female.In Chapter Three,the same uses of natural images in Lawrence’s verse and pictures and the symbolic colours in Lawrence’s poetry is studied,verifying his worship and love for nature.Finally,the subjectivization,abstraction,and symbolization in Lawrence’s poetry and painting are summarized in Conclusion,revealing Lawrence’s admiration and pursuit of,as Aldous Huxley commented,“spontaneous living”with an intention to restore humanity by returning to emotions,instincts,and nature.This thesis applied Expressionism in analyzing Lawrence’s poetry and painting creations,and by an integrated study of his poetry and paintings,provided an opportunity to understand his intention and philosophy better and more clearly.