AnEcofeministReadingofLadyChatterleysLover.docx

AnEcofeministReadingofLadyChatterleysLover.docx

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AnEcofeministReadingofLadyChatterleysLover

AnEcofeministReadingofLadyChatterley’sLover

1.Introduction

1.1BriefintroductionofD.H.Lawrence

AsoneofthemostsignificantauthorsinthehistoryofEnglishliterature,D.H.Lawrencealsoappearedtobeacontroversialoneinthe20th.Duringhisliterarycareer,Lawrencehaswrittentwelvenovels.Theclosebutpeacefulconnectionsamongman,woman,andnaturearealwaystheemphasisofhisnovels.TheWhitePeacock,hisfirstnovel,gainedpositivecomments.Butinhislaterperiod,thebookLadyChatterley’sLover,sufferedoppositevoices.Asacontroversialfigure,Lawrence’spublicreputationstillremainsupsanddowns.FrankRaymondLeavis,aninfluentialBritishliterarycritic,advocatedhisworksandhighlypraisehismoralseriousness.LeavisbelievesLawrence“relateshisspecialthemewithgreatpowertothemaladyofindustrialcivilization”（55）.Later,InLeavisEnglishnovel,TheGreatTradition,Lawrenceisacclaimedwith“thesignofTheTimes”（23）.

LadyChatterley’sLoverhassufferedthestrongestcensureafteritwaspublished.ThenovelreflectsLawrence’scriticismofindustrialization and patriarchyanditwasconsideredasafamousnovelist’sshamefulbook.ThegovernmentregardedLadyChatterley’sLoveras“pornographic”atthattime.Thewriter,E.M.Forster,believesLadyChatterley’sLoverisaliteraryworkofimportance.TheplaywrightJ.B.PriestleysaysthatLadyChatterley’sLoveriswithoutanyobsceneelementorintention,itrepresentsanexperimentbyanovelofgenius.

1.2BriefintroductionofLadyChatterley’sLover

TheworkmainlytellsastoryaboutLadyChatterley’smiserablemarriagelifeandherextramaritalaffair.Connieisayoungprettywoman.Shecomesfromamiddleclassfamily.Shemarriedwithamanfromtheupperrank,CliffordChatterley.Cliffordwhoownsthemineisanaristocracy.Cliffordjoinsthearmyandgoestothefield.However,hegetsinjuredandparalyzedfromthewaistdownwhenthepeacecame.HerloverMellorsistheirgamekeeper.Heisaformerminerandretirestothewoods.ConnielivesamonotonousmarriedlifeduetoClifford’sphysicallimitations.Connie’smiserablemarriagefrustratedherandshewasalwaysbyherself.Cliffordonlycaresabouthimself.BecauseheignoresConnieinthemental,thebarricadewasgraduallybuiltbetweenthem.Cliffordinciteshiswifetodevelopsomeconnectionwithsomemaninherrank,whilesheshouldstartarelationshipwithMellors.Oneday,however,ConniemeetsMellorsbychance.Duetohersexualfrustration,shehasaffairwiththisgamekeeper.Thelovepullsherselftogether.ThenConnieheadstothecottageinthewoodsfromtimetotimeinordertoseehim.MellorsbecomestheloverofConnie.AndMellorsawakesConnie’sself-consciousness.AfterConniegetspregnant,shedecidestobreakupwithCliffordandtolivewithMellors.InLadyChatterley’sLover,thestoryofConniehasacomplicatedplot.ThestoryconcludesinMellorsandConnie’swaitingfortherealizationoftheirdream,livingtogetherandexpectingtheirchild.

1.3Researchstatusofthenovelathomeandabroad

ThestudyonLadyChatterley’sLoverhasneverbeenstagnating.Sincethenovelwaspublishedin1928,differentcommentsappearedtotheboardbothinsideandoutsidethecountry.InChina,thescholarYuDafuinOnD.H.Lawrence’snovel-LadyChatterley’sLover,thinksthatLawrencedescribesnaturalbackground,psychologicaldescription,sexualityandsocialsurroundingsbetweenmanandwomansuccessfully.InLawrenceCriticismandIdealisminLadyChatterley’sLover–CriticismofIndustrialSociety&IdealismReflectedinaHarmoniousSociety,ZhuLiyaanalysesthatmenandwomenlosstheharmonybetweenthembecauseofman’scontroloverwomanandnature.ItpointsoutLawrence’sEcofeminisminLadyChatterley’sLover.Lawrencewantstoestablishabalancedrelationshipamongman,womanandnature.Atabroad,MichelFoucault,theFrenchphilosopher,criticizedthedescriptionofsexualityintheLawrence’snovel.JaniceH.Harrishailsas“thevoiceofproclaimingawoman’sliberationthroughtherecognitionofhersexualself”（70）.LadyChatterley’sLoverdepictstheoppressionofafemalestruggleforherliberationwithgreatsuccess.Theauthorofthisthesiswillreinterpretthebookthroughthestandpointofecofeministcriticism,revealingtheauthor’sfeministconsciousnessandtheprofoundconsiderationontherelationshipbetweenmanandwoman,humanandthenaturalworld.Thepurposeistodemonstratetheecofeministconsciousnessembeddedinhisworks.

2.EcofeminismandD.H.Lawrence

Lawrencepayshisattentiontonatureandwomenbothinhisworks.Hearguedagainstthepatriarchalsocietyandwasnotoptimisticabouttherapidexpansionofindustrialization.Asanovelist,LawrenceistheprophetofEcofeminism.

2.1BriefintroductionofEcofeminism

Ecofeminismisatheoryoriginatedinthe1970.ThetermEcofeminismwasfirstcoinedbytheFrenchwriterFrancoisd’EaubonneinherbookLeFeminismeoulaMortpublishedin1974.Inherworks,d’Eaubonnecallsattentiontosavetheplanet.Thepioneeringworksdrawpublicattentiontowomen’spossibilityforecologicalrevolution.Thisuniteswomenwiththenature.BasedonthegrowthofEcologyandFeminism,Ecofeminismstatesaninterpretationofthetheories.

Duringthe1970s,thewomen’smovementwasintertwinedwiththeenvironmentalmovement.TheAmericanecofeministYnestraKingmadeastatementaboutecofeminism:

Ecofeminismisajoiningofenvironmental,feminist,andwomen'sspiritualityconcerns.Astheenvironmentalmovementalongwithenvironmentalcrisisraisedtheconsciousnessofwomentothedecayoftheearth,theybegantoseeaparallelbetweenthedevaluationearthandthedevaluationofwomen.Womenbegantoseethelinkasnotafalseconstructionofweakness,butasastrongunifyingforcethatclarifiedtheviolationofwomenandtheearthaspartofthesamedramaofmalecontrol（106）.

Thistheoryemphasizestheexploitationofwomanandenvironment,claimingthatwomanarecloselyrelatedtothenature.Theyaremutuallysupportedandrepresented,sufferthesameinferiorposition.InTheDeathofNature,Merchantclaims“theancientidentityofnatureasanurturingmotherlinksthewomen’shistorywiththehistoryoftheenvironmentandecologicalchange”（16）.AccordingtoMerchant,natureisanurturingmotherinearlyhumanhistory.

Ecofeministsholdsthattheoppressionofnatureandtheoppressionofwomanarefigurativelyrelated.Thetraditionalgendersystemhasavalidimpactontoday’senvironmentalproblems.Humanmustworktorebalancethefeminineandmasculineinsociety.

2.2EcofeminisminD.H.Lawrence’sworks

Lawrence’sfatherisaminer,andhismotherisapupilteacherfromthemiddleclass.Hewaslivinginthecoalminingvillage.Lawrencefeelssadthatthegoodnaturalenvironmentwasdestroyedbytheindustrializedrevolution.Lawrenceisanaturelover.Tohim,naturehasanamazingenergyandpower.Besidesthenature,Lawrencealsoconcernsaboutwoman.Inthelate19thcenturies,thewomen’smovementhasmadeprogressintheUnitedKingdom.Tothefateofwoman,Lawrenceisverysensitive.Hiswife,Frieda,isanaristocraticwomanfromGermany.TheirmarriagemakesLawrencehaveanewunderstandingtowardsindependentwomen.Lawrence,inhisworks,hadkeptdevotinghiseffortsonexplorationoftheconnectionsamongmen,womenandnature.Lawrence’slovefornaturemakeshimbecomeanaturewriter.Manyofhisworksdemonstratehisecofeministconsciousness.

Forexample,Lawrence’sfamousnovelSonsandLoversissetinaminingtowncalledBestwood.InBestwood,theenvironmentsufferedfromthecoalminingindustry.InSonsandLovers,WalterMorelwasonbehalfofthealienatedhumanunderthebackgroundofindustrialization.WhenMorelisyoung,heisenergeticandopen-minded.Afteryearsofcoalingworking,heloseshishopeoflife.Heisaddictedtodrinking.HiswifeGertrudefindstheconsolationfromnature.Theflowersinthefrontgardenmakeherforgetthesorrows.Paul,theirson,showshisdetestforindustrialism.Paul’sloveisdisintegratedbecauseofmother’sdomination.Histhreeloverscannotmatchwithhimbothbodilyandspiritually.InSonsandLovers,Lawrenceshowshisdisgustfortheindustrialization.InLawrence’sview,man’sdailylifeisdestroyedbycoalindustry.Asthequickexpansionofindustrialism,thenaturalenvironmentsufferedalot.Andmancannotbetraynature.Manisthesonofnature. 

3.Man-NaturerelationshipinLadyChatterley’sLover 

Manholdstheideathatheistheleaderoftheworld.Manisthedestroyerofnatureandtheygetthepunishmentfromnature.InLadyChatterley’sLover,Lawrenceindicatesofnatureisdestroyedbymeninrapidindustrialization.Connieisawitnessofman’sdestructionofnature.Cliffordandtheminersarethecriminalsandvictims.

3.1Man’sDestructiononNature

InLadyChatterley’sLover,Lawrenceintroducesthebackgroundinthefirstchapter.ThecountrysideWragbyislocated“inaratherlineoldparkofoaktrees”;“intheneardistancethechimeyofTevershallpit,withitscloudsofsteamandsmoke”;“rawstraggleofTevershallvillage”and“rowsofwretched,small,begrimed,brickhouses”（Lawrence13）.Lawrencecalls“utterhopelessugliness”.Theworldisuglyanditiscausedbyindustrialization.Theindustrialvillagestandsforthewholeindustrialdominantinthemoderntimes,especiallyinthetwentiethcenturyEngland.Atthattime,theFirstIndustrializedRevolutiontransformedEnglandintoaninindustrializedcountry.Thenaturallandscapesweredamagedduetothemachines.Theidealsurvivalen