The Evolution of Lawrence’s Burgeoning Socio-philosophical Thoughts in The Rainbow, Women in Love and Touch and Go
With the intention of reforming society, D.H. Lawrence began to be preoccupied with the terms of the social contract, as his letter to Lady Ottoline Morrell, from April 1915 indicates: “as for my Contrat Social, wait, wait, wait, for I can’t do it yet. Soon I shall try” (Letters ii. 312). Written in...
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| Publicado en: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/lawrence, |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Lenguaje: | Anglais |
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Études Lawrenciennes
2022
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| Acceso en línea: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Sumario: | With the intention of reforming society, D.H. Lawrence began to be preoccupied with the terms of the social contract, as his letter to Lady Ottoline Morrell, from April 1915 indicates: “as for my Contrat Social, wait, wait, wait, for I can’t do it yet. Soon I shall try” (Letters ii. 312). Written in the same year as this letter, The Rainbow mirrors Lawrence’s early “awareness and understanding of the nature of society” (Maes-Jelinek 11). This novel and its sequel Women in Love (1920) underline the important changes that were taking place at the time, especially the growth of class consciousness, which led to major upheavals that were already brewing in the late nineteenth century. The Rainbow reflects Lawrence’s nascent observation and assessment of the social pact, while Women in Love, essentially through the description of the relation between the Crich in their social position as factory owners and the working class, offers a deeper reflection on capitalism, the people, their social condition, and their right to revolt. In this exploration of the social question, it is essential to emphasize Birkin and Gerald’s discussion on the necessity to “return to nature” (WL 55) and the implication of such a decision. Finally, it seems that Lawrence’s conception of the social contract comes to maturity in his political play Touch and Go (1920), which can be read as a follow-up to the ideas expressed in Women in Love. My analysis of these works considers the influence of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s thoughts on Lawrence’s understanding and criticism of the social pact. |
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