D. H. 로렌스의 극작품 『다윗』, 『노아의 홍수』 —구약성경의 연극적 재창조

Abstract

This article is intended to examine the process of dramatic recreation and theatrical performance of D. H. Lawrence’s plays, David, Noah’s Flood adapted from biblical stories of Old Testament, and to review the religious characteristics and literary esthetic value of the two works. These works are written in the time of Lawrence's much more serious tuberculosis suffering. Lawrence seeks the real, true, eternal life against death beyond his body's destruction in these two works. Biblical stories about David and King Saul in ‘Samuel I’, and Noah and his three sons saved from Flood Judgement by God in ‘Genesis.’ are dealt with in the two works, and follow the original stories, but the Christian religious natures are in some degree changed into a new dimensions and appearances with the primitive, ancient American Indian religion, which is pantheistic, animistic natural faith, which are strange to the western modern people. Lawrence finds a new revelation in this primitive religion of American Indians. Therefore the special complexity and intertextuality produced from two religious types of Christianity and paganism are included in the two theatrical works. This paper reviews Lawrence's Christian background, its growth and developments from early childhood through adolescent period to later life along with his great concerns about old primitive religious passion and ancient various mysterious strange life in pre-Christian, pre-Flood age. In this analysis all these informations and knowledge are used to understand Lawrence's religious vision, its peculiarities, wish-fulfillment, and self-realization.