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Lawrence: Selected Literary Criticism
Selected Literary I. Autobiographical; II. Puritanism and the Arts; III. Verse; IV. Contemporaries and Importance of Novel; V. Continentals; VI. Americans
- GenresPoetryLiterary Criticism
435 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1924
45 people want to read
About the author
D.H. Lawrence
2,272 books4,259 followersDavid Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English writer of the 20th century, whose prolific and diverse output included novels, short stories, poems, plays, essays, travel books, paintings, translations, literary criticism, and personal letters. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanizing effects of modernity and industrialisation. In them, Lawrence confronts issues relating to emotional health and vitality, spontaneity, human sexuality and instinct.
Lawrence's opinions earned him many enemies and he endured official persecution, censorship, and misrepresentation of his creative work throughout the second half of his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile he called his "savage pilgrimage." At the time of his death, his public reputation was that of a pornographer who had wasted his considerable talents. E. M. Forster, in an obituary notice, challenged this widely held view, describing him as "the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation." Later, the influential Cambridge critic F. R. Leavis championed both his artistic integrity and his moral seriousness, placing much of Lawrence's fiction within the canonical "great tradition" of the English novel. He is now generally valued as a visionary thinker and a significant representative of modernism in English literature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.H._Law...
Lawrence's opinions earned him many enemies and he endured official persecution, censorship, and misrepresentation of his creative work throughout the second half of his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile he called his "savage pilgrimage." At the time of his death, his public reputation was that of a pornographer who had wasted his considerable talents. E. M. Forster, in an obituary notice, challenged this widely held view, describing him as "the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation." Later, the influential Cambridge critic F. R. Leavis championed both his artistic integrity and his moral seriousness, placing much of Lawrence's fiction within the canonical "great tradition" of the English novel. He is now generally valued as a visionary thinker and a significant representative of modernism in English literature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.H._Law...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 19, 2020
I think the literary criticism written by great authors is fascinating. This extensive collection is a great read.
June 3, 2015
Ignore goodreads' description of this book: "critical study of Sons and Lovers."
DHL criticizes literature, & the writers personally, based on the precepts of his own philosophy, which included the elevation of instinct over reason, sexual mysticism, opposition to the attempt to completely understand or merge with other people, opposition to conventional & outdated blather, and various quirky prejudices and opinions. The voice moves from academic to poetic to conversational. Scathing criticism suddenly turns around & DHL says the author is getting rid of bad old stuff. DHL seems to have disliked most late-19th, early-20th Century literature. Made me want to skip reading most of what he mentioned, rather than inspired me to add to my to-read list.
This book included an early version of the bon mot that Americans have sex on the mind which is a heck of a place to have it.
Nice energetic prose. A fan of early 20th Century literature would enjoy this.
DHL criticizes literature, & the writers personally, based on the precepts of his own philosophy, which included the elevation of instinct over reason, sexual mysticism, opposition to the attempt to completely understand or merge with other people, opposition to conventional & outdated blather, and various quirky prejudices and opinions. The voice moves from academic to poetic to conversational. Scathing criticism suddenly turns around & DHL says the author is getting rid of bad old stuff. DHL seems to have disliked most late-19th, early-20th Century literature. Made me want to skip reading most of what he mentioned, rather than inspired me to add to my to-read list.
This book included an early version of the bon mot that Americans have sex on the mind which is a heck of a place to have it.
Nice energetic prose. A fan of early 20th Century literature would enjoy this.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews