His ideas
Lawrence held seemingly contradictory views of feminism. The evidence of his written works indicates an overwhelming commitment to representing women as strong, independent and complex; he produced major works in which young, selfdirecting female characters were central
How the Oedipus complex was demonstrated in that work.
Oedipus complex
Mother fixation
Reasons
Appreciation
Sons and lovers
The Mother--rich family coal miner disappointed his sons The Son---please his mother beyond the normal level
In general, Oedipus complex is the ideas and feelings which center on the desire to possess the parent of the opposite sex and eliminate the parent of the same sex.
The author’s experience
• Home town--- the coal mining town of Eastwood • Father---a barely literate miner • Mother---a former schoolmistress (strong character and refinement ) • Lawrence---had a deep and abnormal feeling with his mother, then married a professor’s wife who was six years older than D.H.
Examples
1.When he was a child, he walked all day, went miles and miles to look for blackberries, because his mother loved them. 2. In Paul’s eyes, his mother was an elegant and beautiful young girl. 3.he would send her to bed and kiss her goodnight everyday.
Oedipus complex is a literary theme that portrayed in many novels, such as Death of the Salesman ,Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and the most prominent one , Soature
See “Oedipus complex” in the view of literature instead of thinking it sick and abnormal. It’s not only an artistic form, but also a normal psychological phenomenon.
Oedipus complex
＆
Literature
In Thebes King Laius ＆ Queen Jocasta
Oedipus
Raised by King Polybus ＆ Queen Merope
On his way to Thebes
killed a stranger
• Solved the riddle of Sphinx (狮身人面女怪)
• Became the new king
• Married the old king’s widow
According to this Greek mythology, Freud(弗洛伊德) introduced the theory of Oedipus complex, also called “Mother fixation”
David Herbert Richards Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930)
Versatile
D.H Lawrence
Prolific
Controversial Rebellious
• novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter • Sons and Lovers (1913)----mother fixation • Women in Love----homosexuality • The Rainbow • Lady Chatterley‘s Lover (1928)----sexuality • he writes, "I should like to know why nearly every man that approaches greatness tends to homosexuality, whether he admits it or not”