D. H. 로렌스, 개인, 그리고 공동체

Abstract

One of the key words in D. H. Lawrence’s works is undoubtedly a relationship between people, especially man and woman. The dominance of the subject of relationship in the critical responses to Lawrence’s works seems to limit explorations of diverse leitmotifs outside it. This paper starts with a question of how far the mysterious and incomparable individuality of the individual, which Lawrence repeatedly highlighted, has something to do with his sense of community; As shown in the “isolated” character like Ursula or Birkin, is Lawrence’s sense of individuality only self-centered, detached from society, and devoid of any possibility of being involved in the community? It is true that The Rainbow, Women in Love, even the early two ‘leadership’ novels, Aaron’s Rod, Kangaroo, strongly feature the isolation of the modern individual. Nonetheless, Lawrence’s works, especially written in his last years, call into question the commonsensical understanding of individual and society as conflicting entities. To understand fully Lawrence’s criticisms against, and his complex alternatives for, the Western civilization, the critical tendencies focusing on the subject of relationship between man and woman need to be extended into including his insightful suggestions of community. This paper examines, especially focusing on The Plumed Serpent, Etruscan Places, Apocalypse, and other essays, whether Lawrence’s concern with individuality can go beyond the realm of the isolated individual, and how he suggests the possibility of community without disregarding the realm of the individual.