D. H. Lawrence, um classicista

Abstract

In the Greek classical conception, the ideal man represents the unity of the intuitive and the rational. In the Middle Ages one finds the concept of sin linked to the human body. There is a rupture within the harmonious ensemble body and spirit. With the Renaissance, the search for balance reappears, and Humanism tries to conciliate these two aspects of human nature, now described as a triad, with the three basic components of the classical man being reason, sentiment and sensuality. It is observed that, after the Renaissance, no other literary school made an effort to convey a vision of man with equal emphasis to the intuitive, emotional and rational aspects. D.H.Lawrence, a modern English writer, attempted a classical unity in his vision of man. He puts it clearly in his afterword to Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1929). This position is made perfectly clear throughout his work. An examine of the short-story “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter”shows how Lawrence’s classical vision defines love. The writer was openly criticized in his time and even afterwards, but is now universally accepted and admired, which proves that he, too, became a classic.