D.H. Lawrence's Short Stories Thread

[Janine]

Sounds interesting, I will have to keep an eye for when that starts.

It will be awhile from now....hey, but great!

I will let you know at the time, DM.

[Dark Muse]

Cool I will look forward to it

[Janine]

Great! Glad you will be in the discussion.

[Janine]

Hi Everyone! I started the story again last night and today I reached part II. I really love the story so far. I am happy to be back reading Lawrence again! I love the way he describes the islands, and the flowers particularly interest me. Lawrence, himself, was an avid botonist and studied it extensively in college and his work is always so peppered with lovely floral descriptions; no wonder. He truly knew his flowers and plants, and at times I feel again, as in "Sun" that I am reading a long epic poem....it flows like poetry. I particularly was interested in the man in the story (who seems to be nameless) taking time to rename all the flowers and plants on the island, in their Latin names. I have a garden of my own and a friend has a great garden and I have always been envious that she can so easily name the various flowers and plants, with their Latin names.

I think some of the decriptions of the austerity and separateness, isolation of the island is interesting as well, as the idea of it being as a ship out to sea. This was mentioned during a storm, I believe.

Hope everyone does not mind me making a few preliminary comments. I will read more tonight and I am sure I will finish the story before the weekend is through....I am enjoying it very much....now that all the reading and holiday pressure is off.

I am going out now, so I will check in later on tonight. You can all wait until Monday to post or post some comments now, if you wish to.

[Nossa]

I'm done with part one too. I'll hopefully start reading Part II tonight Can't wait for the discussion.

[Nossa]

Okay, few comments on Part I
I totally agree with you Janine, I loved the description. At the beginning of the story, he managed to describe the beauty of the island, and the beauty of nature there, but I still had that feeling of loneliness and even gloominess while reading it. I loved how he likened the caves and the ruins on the island at night to priests and pirates, it kind of reminded me of when we're children, afraid of dakrness to the extent that we imagine that things around us look like something else.
The part where he was describing the idea of time in solitude, and how minutes when you're alone expand to endless hours (he didn't say that exactly). I just loved the description!!
I don't know if I should say more comments without spoiling the story..lol
I'll keep them till everyone joins in

[Dark Muse]

One of the things I really loved about Part 1 is the way in which he talked about the ancient Celtic Ghosts that in his mind still haunted the island, and the way in which there was this balance, or conflict between both the idea of solitude, and peace, and isolation and lonliness. The island was painted as being beutiful, but at the same time, it had these hidden and frightining asepcts to it.

[Nossa]

One of the things I really loved about Part 1 is the way in which he talked about the ancient Celtic Ghosts that in his mind still haunted the island, and the way in which there was this balance, or conflict between both the idea of solitude, and peace, and isolation and lonliness. The island was painted as being beutiful, but at the same time, it had these hidden and frightining asepcts to it.

I totally second that

[Janine]

Okay, few comments on Part I
I totally agree with you Janine, I loved the description. At the beginning of the story, he managed to describe the beauty of the island, and the beauty of nature there, but I still had that feeling of loneliness and even gloominess while reading it. I loved how he likened the caves and the ruins on the island at night to priests and pirates, it kind of reminded me of when we're children, afraid of dakrness to the extent that we imagine that things around us look like something else.
The part where he was describing the idea of time in solitude, and how minutes when you're alone expand to endless hours (he didn't say that exactly). I just loved the description!!
I don't know if I should say more comments without spoiling the story..lol
I'll keep them till everyone joins in

Hi Nossa,
I always love Lawrence's descriptive passages and especially how well he can depict nature and natural surroundings. I liked that idea, too, of the caves the the way he associates these with the 'ancient Celtic ghosts', as Dark Muse has pointed out, and the 'priests and pirates', as you stated. Two good points and very significant to the story and perhaps a little ominous I think in our anticipation of what will be coming next in the story.

Yes, I found that time passage fascinating also and so well thought out and so true. Time is a very relative concept if you think about it. You know how people will say "my, time flies!" or "where has the time gone" or "time is of the essence" - there are a zillion sayings about time; I think this is because we really don't fully understand the whole concept of time; we cannot perhaps. Time is only a measurement and an abstract in our minds. This passage perfectly stated this whole idea of time and presented us with something to consider, ponder. I thought, when reading this passage that this was completely brilliant writing, on Lawrence's part.

Yes, Nossa and anyone commenting, please don't go beyond Part, because I really want to be surprised at how this story will end; in fact, I can't wait to read more tonight. No spoilers, please, until after Monday when we all will have read the story completely through. Thanks so much!

Glad you are all enjoying it so and good to see a few posts with preliminary comments. This is going to be a great discussion.

[Virgil]

I finished my first reading of the story last night. It was such a pleasurable read. I kept getting more and more interesting as it went along. I want to read it one more time, this time scribbling some notes in the margins, and I'll be ready to discuss this by tomorrow night.

[Janine]

I finished my first reading of the story last night. It was such a pleasurable read. I kept getting more and more interesting as it went along. I want to read it one more time, this time scribbling some notes in the margins, and I'll be ready to discuss this by tomorrow night.

Hi again Everyone! I finished this morning, too and I will take your suggestion and re-read through again, V. I will also take some notes as I do, and will try to be better prepared this time around.
I liked the story so much. It read like poetry, I thought, and as you said, Virgil, 'I kept getting more and more interested as it went along.' That ending gave me much to think about today.

[Dark Muse]

Yes I found that the ending was quite thought provoking when I read it.

[Janine]

Yes I found that the ending was quite thought provoking when I read it.

DM, funny it has been coming back to me all day long...sort of subtly....
I guess when we get to the ending I will have a lot of questions in my mind and I am sure we will all have a lot of thoughts on that, too.

First, we should discuss the story as it develops; we usually do it that way, and it works out so well. I will at least review the first Part I and makes notes, for Monday. I also want to look up when Lawrence wrote this story. It must be a later one since it is in Volume III of the Short Stories.

[Dark Muse]

Sounds good, cannot wait

[Virgil]

First, we should discuss the story as it develops; we usually do it that way, and it works out so well. I will at least review the first Part I and makes notes, for Monday. I also want to look up when Lawrence wrote this story. It must be a later one since it is in Volume III of the Short Stories.

Janine, in that book you have, can you look up when lawrence actually wrote it. And if memory serves me correctly, he actually had a real person in mind that he based the story on. What background info does that book provide on this story?