Sexuality, Suffering and the Self in D. H. Lawrence's The Rainbow and Women in Love

Abstract

<p>We shall not look before and after.<br />We shall be, now.<br /> We shall know in full.<br /> We, the mystic NOW.<br /> D. H. Lawrence, "Manifesto"</p> <p>The emphasis of this analysis of The Rainbow and Women in Love is upon Lawrence's recognition of sexuality as a motivating force in the metamorphosis of the individual self, of suffering as a sign of growth in spiritual awareness and self-transcendence and of conflict as the essential ambiance of the regenerative cycle in human relations. Special significance is given Lawrence's insistence on the balancing of the conscious and the unconscious selves in the accomplishment of total being, on the further balancing of unique selves in human relationship and on the final sense of achieved balance of the individual as a unit of the cosmic whole.</p> <p>Chapter One traces, through The Rainbow, the melding of a conscious and unconscious self into a unified being. Chapter Two examines, in Women in Love, Lawrence's views of sexuality as the source of vitality and evolution in the realm of human relationships and his presentation of an achieved relationship as the alternative to self-destruction through physical and spiritual enervation. The conclusion considers the artistic contribution of these novels to a fuller understanding of the roles played by sexuality, suffering and self in viable human relationship. Page numbers within parentheses refer to that edition of the novel designated in the bibliography.</p> <p>Links with "Kubla Khan" are elaborated to illustrate the tradition behind Lawrence's insistence on the greater significance of sensual and spiritual realities, as opposed to solely material ones, in the attainment of human happiness as well as to demonstrate his artistic fidelity to symbolic and structural pattern. Accordingly, it is hoped that this study will contribute to the appreciation of D. H. Lawrence as a student of the psychology of human relationships and as an artist of consummate skill.</p>