The three voices of D.H. Lawrence.

Type of content
Theses / Dissertations
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Degree name
Master of Arts
Publisher
University of Canterbury. Department of English
Journal Title
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Language
Date
1979
Authors
Cheung, Lai-Ling Winnie
Abstract

Several critics have mentioned the demon and the prophet in D.H. Lawrence's work, but very few people have examined the role these two figures play in Lawrence's individual novels. It is my objective in this thesis to identify the three voices of Lawrence - that of the demon, the prophet and the artist - in four of his novels, which include his first novel (The White Peacock) , his last novel •(Lady Chatterley's Lover) , and representatives of his best and worst novels (Women in Love and Kangaroo respectively). References to Lawrence's bi6graphy and non-fictional work will be made to cast light on the causes for the predominance of one voice over the other, and the effect of the predominance on the writer's art. It is found that both the demon and the prophet are indigenous and essential to Lawrence's fiction, because they provide the artist with the inspiration and impetus to write. But when the demon or the prophet is not kept in check, the result is either the lack of coherence and understanding, or the abundance of didactic preaching. In both cases, the artist fails to establish an aesthetic distance between himself and his alter ego in his novels.

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Rights
Copyright Lai-Ling Winnie Cheung