What's a good novel to start with? Or a collection of short stories if he wrote any? I read some of his poetry.
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What's a good novel to start with? Or a collection of short stories if he wrote any? I read some of his poetry.
Sons and Lovers, I would say, because of its autobiographic elements... Which I will be re-reading sometime next month.
The short story 'The Prussian Officer' got me interested in Lawrence. After that I read The Rainbow and its sequel, Women in Love, which are generally considered his best novels. I can't say that I'm a big fan of his novels but I like his short stories and poetry.
I, too, have been wondering where to start when it comes to Lawrence.
I personally can't stand Lawrence - I think him a supremely untalented sensationalist. But if you do want to embark on him nevertheless, the short story 'The Rocking-Horse Winner' is the least dreadful thing of his I've read.
I've recently read Sons and Lovers and enjoyed it. I would suggest you better start reading it. The short stories I liked are The Horse Dealer's Daughter, The Prussian Officer and The White Stocking.
Sons and Lovers is probably the most subtle exploration of Lawrencian themes.
I've read some his poetry and a short story and I gotta disagree. Besides the homoerotic atmosphere his story the Prussian Officer adopted, I found it very good and I won't judge his by that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lokasenna
I too feel Sons and Lovers is a good novel to start with. Love this book. Anyway, just don't start with with Lady chatterly's Lover. It's sooo boring. :sleep:
I'd tackle Lady Chatterley's Lover last, and probably tackle Women in Love after Sons and Lovers.
Fair enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by E.A Rumfield
Lawrence just isn't to my taste, that's all. That shouldn't stop other people enjoying him - as you clearly have done!
Is it generally considered that he is boring? I've heard Lawrence highly praised by some of my favorite writers as being nothing less than a genius an equal with Huxley when it comes to insight and poetic language. If that is true I would like to read his work. What kind of themes does he tackle? Who is he most similar to?
I recommend you start with Lawrence's most ambitious novel "The Plumed Serpent". Its plot comprises nothing less than the political takeover, and re-paganization, of Mexico by a group of Nietzschean supermen and women.
Far from it! He's probably best known for riling up the censors, particularly with Lady Chatterley's Lover.Quote:
Originally Posted by E.A Rumfield
Another one of Lawrence's books that enraged the censors is the novella entitled "The Man Who Died". He had to publish it in France under the title "The Escaped ****". It tells the tale of Jesus, who having survived his crucifixion, leaves his tomb and sees a rooster, and this little flame of life inspires him to embrace the world, carnality included. He travels to an island in the sea and beds a beautiful priestess of Isis, miraculously escaping from any domestic entanglements too!
That sounds great. I like novellas. I couldn't get into Tolstoy but I liked his novella The Cossacks. Dostoevsky' novella The Gambler was one of my favorite works by him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Des Essientes
A rather unfortunate title.Quote:
Originally Posted by Des Essientes
The Escaped . . . what? It could be any number of four letter choices.
****. I googled it just now.
Edit: Oh no! It got automatically censored! First time that's happened to me.
I sense a game of censorship charades is upon us! What does it rhyme with?
It's another word for rooster :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutatis-Mutandis
I personally think that Women In Love is his finest production. Other than his fascination with the natural world his main obsession and source of material was human relationships, and with that book you have his virtuoso depictions of not just love between man and woman but also love between man and man, which I suspect he valued just as much, from what I've read of his letters.
Lady Chatterly is a short novel and the one that he's most known for as well as the one that first got me into him..... I'd say it actually changed my life since it turned me from philosophy to art... so you can't go wrong with that either.