From the Lists: #48 & 49: A Little DH Lawrence Anyone?

1st Edition

I continue my effort to make it through the list of 100 Best English-Language Novels of the 20th Century and D. H. Lawrence comes in at both #48 and #49. Oddly, other entries on the list that include multiple books in a series are presented as a single entry (#70 The Alexandria Quartet, #23 The USA Trilogy, #57 Parade's End). In this case, The Rainbow and Women in Love are listed separately. Perhaps the reason for this is Lawrence's radically different approach to describing the various forms of love in each.

Many of Lawrence's novels are devoted to the exploration of love outside the bounds of popular romantic Victorian novels. As such, The Rainbow (1915) was initially banned and printed copies were burned in the UK due to the frank discussion of sexual fulfillment and its importance (primacy) in relationships. The three generations of Brangwens introduced in this work, do not find themselves in particularly happy or romantic love matches. Instead, their relationships are based mainly on grudging respect, desire, and physical satisfaction. Mind you, there is no cheating, adultery, or other shenanigans presented in the text, but the idea of relationships based purely on physical needs was evidently insulting to the prim British reading public of the time. By today's standards, this work is extremely tame; however, the suggestive use of "verdant, fecund, turgid, pulsating, and burning" language when describing the mundane lives of these characters can be quite entertaining.

Women in Love (1921) picks up with the two oldest Brangwen daughters, Ursula and Gudrun, and their love interests, Rupert and Gerald. The girls fall in love at first sight with the two male characters. The men, on the other hand, are oblivious and seem to be just a bit (a lot, really) in love with each other. Some critics have suggested that this novel was intended to be Lawrence's "gay" novel, but due to the public outcry following the release of The Rainbow (i.e. bonfires), he dialed back the relationship between the two men. Where the previous novel explored physical love, this novel focuses on the various ideals of love each character strives to fulfill:

• Ursula wants to be cherished as the center of her husband's attention
• Gudrun is an artist who thinks she wants a powerful domineering lover only to discover that she feels smothered in his presence
• Rupert is looking for a separate but equal love, similar to the love he feels for his best friend Gerald (see sexy, naked wrestling scene - WOOF)
• Gerald enjoys the attentions of everyone, but feels pressure to settle down with a woman in order to fulfill his role as the eldest son of local gentry. 

Obviously, the story's tension arises from the mismatched couples - a little girlfriend swapping or a simple threesome would solve all their problems. Actually, Rupert does suggest the threesome option to Gerald - who ultimately refuses. In my opinion, the subject matter of this novel is much racier than that of the previous work. It is possible that the British public lost some of its Victorian innocence following the hardships of WWI and was more open to exploring love in all its myriad forms.

Recommendation: It is not necessary to read both books as each stands on its own merits. They are both relatively easy reads, but there is quite a bit of internal dialog and soul searching as each character navigates through their desires, emotions, hopes, and personal inventories in search of companionship and happiness. The Rainbow does not appear to have much of a defined story arc other than an extended family history of turbulent lusty relationships. Women in Love is more traditionally limited in its plot, but quite modern in its treatment of the subject matter. If you only have time for one - I suggest Women in Love.

PS - Women in Love is coming up soon in my Netflix queue. It received a slew of awards in 1968. I am really interested in seeing how the director presents the subject matter. With that said, I think that there were many more movies with challenging subjects produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s before the advent of super-quick film cuts and inexpensive special effects (for example The Graduate, The Godfather, Last Tango in Paris, Lolita, Midnight Cowboy, The French Connection, Chinatown, etc.).