It's
a strange thing, but i have finished this without being reminded of
the previous reading. I am certain i did read it, at Loretto, maybe
for O Level, maybe not. But
reading it i have not had the flash of recognition that i usually
have at some point while rereading a book. Thus i have been forced
to reconsider, have i read it? did i perhaps misremember, remember
other pupils reading it? Who knows. Parts of it are familiar, but
perhaps only in the sense that i am familiar with books which are a
part of my cultural heritage, even if i haven't read them myself.
Without
worrying further, i need to respond to the book itself, though, and
decide how i felt about it and whether, which is more important that
possible past events, i will read another Lawrence in the future. I
have to own that, to my regret, i was not as impressed with the
writing as i probably should have been. For one thing, Paul Morel,
the Lawrence stand-in, is an unattractive character, tied to his
mother’s apron-strings, either unable or not willing to make a
decision for himself, and in the process he hurts at least two other
people, the two women he is interested in but unwilling to make a
commitment to.
Another
point i found irritating (laughable, really, me, with no credit,
being irritated by someone universally acknowledged to be one of the
Giants of the Twentieth Century) is that for much of the plot, while
not much is happening in the lives of the characters, Lawrence spends
his time telling his readers what the interior life of the
characters, Paul in particular, is; he does not show it, does not
allow the readers to grow their own perceptions and understandings,
but lays out in detail how Paul feels, why he reacts in a particular
way. I cannot but help think that the better novel is one in which
the character is revealed through action. I cannot say that i won't
read Lawrence again; i have read some of his poetry before, and
perhaps some of the travel writings also; but i can say that i am not
inspired to rush out and find another to read immediately. Which
reaction, given his stature, and the place of this novel in his
canon, makes me question mine own critical ability.
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