I know this is long; but I typed all this out so please, please read it.
My poor fingers are so tired of typing all this, and also it was not too easy find these references.... so please, please read it. I think this throws a lot of light on the story.
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Originally Posted by Virgil
The Lawrence guru is here. Just trying to catch up.
I can understand why you feel this goes against the Lawrence grain Quark. This is a very satiric story, and I don't thnk we covered a Lawrence satiric story yet. He does get satiric at times (I'm thinking of novellas The Fox and St. Mawr), and when he gets satiric he can be very biting. And I think the characters here are portrayed in a caustic tone.
Hi Lawrence guru! :lol:
Virgil, that is a very good word for the story – ‘satiric’. Yes, this is the ‘style’ of ‘form’, in which Lawrence wrote this story, and some others from that same time period. The tone certainly is biting and very caustic at times. You and I know how Lawrence could fling comments or insults at his public or publishers and they were quite scathing, in addition to being rather amusing and witty, as well.
It truly helps to see just what was going on in Lawrence’s personal life around this time period. I found this in the introduction ‘Chronology’ in my “Women in Love” book:
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1925 Finishes The Plumed Serpent, falls ill and almost dies of typhoid and pneumonia in February; in March diagnosed as suffering from *tuberculosis. Recuperates at Kiowa Ranch, writes David (1926) and compiles Reflections on the Death of a Porcupine (1925). He and Frieda return to settle in Spotorno, Italy; DHL writes first version of *Sun (1926); *Frieda meets Angelo Ravagli.
Then in 1926:
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1926 Writes The Virgin and the Gypsy (1930); *serious quarrel with Frieda during visit from DHL’s sister Ada. DHL visits Brewsters and *Brett; has affair with Brett. Reconciled, DHL and Frieda move to Villa Mirenda, near Florence, in May and visit England (his last visit) in late summer. On return to Italy in October he writes first version of Lady Chatterly’s Lover (1944); starts second version in November.
*Up until this time, Lawrence refused to believe he had TB, this doctor in Mexico diagnosed the disease and recommended a warm climate with sun (see excerpt below), or he will surely die. Up until and even after this Lawrence would only refer to his illness as his ‘broncials’. In actuality, TB, was a death sentence for Lawrence and he pretty much knew it.
*Sun - The following story ‘Sun’ also explores the idea of a wife retreating, without her husband to a warmer climate. Obviously, Lawrence was expressing the idea that ‘sun’ would heal and restore life, as was recommended in his own case.
*Frieda meets Ravagli, whom she marries after Lawrence is deceased (Lawrence dies in 1930). She meets him while Lawrence is still recuperating from nearly dying. It was believed, she did indeed have on ongoing affair with Ravagli at this time, and leading up to Lawrence’ death. Lawrence knew about it, resented it, most likely, but could not control his headstrong,’modern thinking’ wife; therefore, he was resigned to the fact, she had her little laisons. No doubt, this ‘resentment’ and ‘bitterness’ resurfaces in the work he did during this period. The themes certainly do come forth and Lawrence is hardly condoning ‘affairs outside of marriage’, as is so apparent in this story – ‘Two Bluebirds’ with his cutting satire.
*serious quarrel with Frieda – one can only conjecture what that quarrel was about. I will try and look up that time, and see if I can dig up any sound reason for the quarrel. It states in the passage, that they did 'reconcil' and then move to Italy. Shortly after his last trip to England, he wrote “Lady Chatterly’s Lover”, which seems to me to follow in his same train of thought, but more developed in the novel. Most importantly to note, during this time period, Lawrence was in great distress and his relationship with his wife was on very shaky ground. It was a very tumultuous time in Lawrence’s life. Very shortly before all this his father died, as well. Several so called friends he either split with or they split with him. Add onto this the diagnosis of TB and it was a good receipe for all kinds of resentments and complex feelings.
*Dorothy Brett – The Lawrence’s met her in New Mexico, at the L's ranch; good friend of the Lawrence’s, she even traveled to Mexico, among other locations, with the couple. I have read several accounts to whether she and Lawrence actually did have an affair. At this time, following this bad illness and near death, I believe Lawrence was suffering impotence, so even if they spend a night together in a hotel room, it was not much of an affair. The whole thing is somewhat doubtful, but then later, Lawrence does mention in a letter to Brett that Frieda claimed she would never speak to Brett again. There could be other reasons for that but from what I read I believe that Frieda did become quite jealous of Brett and her attention to Lawrence. Brett even typed for Lawrence, which caused more animosity in Frieda's eyes. Quite a soap opera, isn't it?
‘Two Blue Birds’ was written in Florence and send to Nancy Pearn May 13, 1926:
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I send you a story, ‘Two Blue Birds’ – probably to be another tribulation to you.[Huxley 658]
I just found this very interesting letter concerning Brett – keep in mind this letter was written around the same time Lawrence wrote this story. A few letters before this one, I read another, in which Lawrence professes he will no longer talk to his old friend, Murray because of some critical things Murray said about Lawrence publically. The letter that Brett forwarded to L make him sick and his words were bitter and scathing…”make me sick in the pit of my stomach: the cold, cold insect-like ugliness of it. – I shall avoid meeting Murray.” (January 1925)
This is an excerpt from a letter to Brett a little later:
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To Hon, Dorothy Brett, 11 April 1925
You are, you know, a born separator. Even without knowing that you do it, you set people against one another. It is instinctive with you. If you are friendsly with one, you make that one unfriendly to the others: no matter who it is. It’s just a natural process with you. – But it usually turns everyone into an enemy, at last…………………Among three people, always two against one.
Then a little later in the same letter:
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A life in common is an illusion, when the instinct is always to divide, to separate individuals and set them one against the other. And this seems to be the ruling instinct, unacknowledged. Unite with the one, against the other. And it’s no good.
Wow, that last part seems to me to be the theme of “Two Bluebirds”, in Lawrence’s own words! This is truly revealing to me.
Note: Lawrence died in 1930, so this story was written about 4 yrs earlier, but in a very bad period for Lawrence; besides continually fighting his health (there were many ups and downs with that) and being in a weakened state, he had experienced so much personal woe and rejection by now, he was quite fed-up. Until nearly his last days, he kept writing, but these later writings, definitely reflect a mood and an 'edge', that Lawrence did not previously reveal so intensely. They also reflect a sort of attitude of 'resignment' at times. It is an interesting mixture.
