THE WHITE PEACOCK,published in 1911,Lawrence started the novel in 1906 and then rewrote it three times.The curly versions had the working title of Laconia.
It involves such Lawrcnrian themes as the damage associated with mismatched marriages,and the border country between town and country.A misanthropic gamekeeper makes an appearance,in some ways the prototype of Mellor's in Lawrence's last novel,Lady Chatterley's Lover.The book includes some notably description of nature and the impact of inclustrialisation on the countryside and the town.Its provincialism may be compared with the novels of George Eliot and Thomas Hardy.
喬治和萊斯利來自不同的社會階層,卻同時愛上了美麗的少女萊蒂。萊蒂對英俊、強健的喬治產(chǎn)生了愛慕之情,然而在一陣單純、甜美的嬉鬧之后,萊蒂又模糊地感到現(xiàn)實生活僅有愛情還不夠,于是便選擇了優(yōu)裕卻沒有愛情的生活,嫁給頭腦簡單、精神空虛的富家子弟萊斯利。喬治在悲痛絕望中借酒澆愁,從此沉淪下去。在這部作品中,勞倫斯意在揭示人性在現(xiàn)代社會中的迷失,揭示淳樸自然的田園生活與散發(fā)著銅臭的工業(yè)文明的對立。
《白孔雀》的書名來自蹲在天使石像上的一只孔雀“這妄自尊大的蠢貨……它是女人的靈魂……要不就是魔鬼的心靈!庇纱它c明小說的主旨意在探索女性心理,其中既有勞倫斯中學時代的戀人杰茜的影子,而女主人公萊蒂這一形象又與他后來創(chuàng)作的《戀愛中的女人》有著諸多相似之處,而勞倫斯也逐漸成長為20世紀富爭議的情愛小說大師。
D.H.LAWRENCE(1885-1930),one of the greatest figures in 20th-century English literature.Lawrence saw six and intuition as ways to undistorted perception of reality and means to respond to
the inhumanity of the industrial culture.From Lawrence's doctrines of sexual freedom arose obscenity trials,which had a deep effect on the relationship between literature and society.
In 1912,he wrote:"What the blood feels,and bclicvcs,and says,is always truce."Lawrence's life after World War I was marked with continuous and restless wandering.
"Pour us a drop of tea,"he said to Emily.
"I don't know that I shall wait on such brutes,"she replied,relenting,and flourishing the teapot.
"Oh,"said he,taking another piece of bread and butter,"I'm not all alone in my savageness this time."
"Men are all brutes,"said Lottie,hotly,without looking up from her book.
"You can tame us,"said Leslie,in mighty good humor.
She did not reply.George began,in that deliberate voice that so annoyed Emily:
"It does make you mad,though,to touch the fur,and not be able to grab him"-he laughed quietly.
Emily moved off in disgust.Lottie opened her mouth sharply to speak,but remained silent.
"I don't know,"said Leslie."When it comes to killing it goes against the stomach."
"If you can run,"said George,"you should be able to run to death.When your blood's up,you don't hang half way."
"I think a man is horrible,"said Lottie,"who can tear the head off a little mite of a thing like a rabbit,after running it in torture over a field."
"When he is nothing but a barbarian to begin with"said
Emily.
"If you began to run yourself-you'd be the same,"said
George.
"Why,women are cruel enough,"said Leslie,with a glance at Lottie."Yes,"he continued,"they're cruel enough in their way"-another look,and a conucallittle smile.
"Well,"said George,"what's the good finishing!If you feel Iike doing a thing-you'd better do it."
……