Lady Chatterley 2.docx

Lady Chatterley 2.docx

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LadyChatterley2

标题：

D.H.Lawrence'sworldvisionofculturalregenerationinLadyChatterley'sLover

作者：

Jae-KyungKoh

来源：

TheMidwestQuarterly.43.2（Winter2002）:

p189.FromLiteratureResourceCenter.

文章类型：

Criticalessay

书签：

为此文档添加书签

THEGREATWARbroughtaboutfundamentalchangesinpostwarBritishandEuropeansociety.Apartfrommassivedestructionoflifeandproperty,ithadprofoundeffectsonattitudes,encouragingdisillusionment,cynicism,andpolitical,social,andmoraldisturbance.TraditionalChristianvalues,andtraditionalpoliticalandsocialhierarchies,wereweakened,andtheworldthathadexistedbeforethewardisappeared.Thedeathtoilwasenormous.Therulingclasswasparticularlybadlyhit,buttheexceptionalscaleandrangeofBritishlossesdidseriousdamagetotheestablishedsocio-culturalsystemsateverylevelinthesociety.Italsocreatedbitterangerat,andsavagecontemptfor,therigidsocialrulesandclassbarriersofthepre-waryears.InBritainintheCenturyofTotalWarArthurMarwickobservesthat,asaresultofthewar"societyintheTwentiesandThirtiesexhibitedallthesignsofhavingsufferedadeepmentalwound,towhichtheagonyandthebloodshed,aswellasthemoregeneralisedrevulsionatthedestructionofanoldercivilizationanditswayscontributed"（62）.

Itwasfromthisbleakpostwarperspective--amidthefragmentationandcollapseoftheestablishedsocio-culturalsystems--thatD.H.Lawrencesetouttoexploretheideaofculturalregeneration.Hispropheticvisionofthefuturewasbuiltuponacyclicalviewofhistory,inwhichpsychologicalforceswereseenasthecausesofhistoricalchange.Inanyparticularphaseofhumanhistory,aparticularconceptionofthehumanprevails;asaresult,aparticulargroupofhumanimpulsesisdominant,whileothersareignoredorevenrepressed:

afteratime,theelementsinthepsychewhichhavebeendeniedexpressionforcetheirwaytothesurface,andwiththis"returnoftherepressed"comesthebeginningofacontrastinghistoricalphase.ThroughouttheChristianera,theemphasishadbeenonaltruismandself-restraintratherthanself-assertion,and--historicallyspeaking--thelongdominanceofthattraditionhadmadepossibletheestablishmentoftheinhumanmechanicaldisciplineofmodernindustrialism.InLawrence'scyclicaltheory,historicalchangeisdrivenbythestruggleoftherepressedtoreturn:

theresultisapsycho-historicalconflictwhichfindsexpressioninadialecticof"destruction"and"re-creation."ForLawrence,thewarwasbothasymptomofthefinaldeclineoftheChristianeraandalsoanindicationthatanewhistoricalphasewitsbeginning;so,despitethecynicismandpessimismoftheage,hisvisionofpostwarsocietyisatentativelyhopefulone,lookingforwardtothebirthofasocietywhichwillbetheantithesisofthepresentmechanisedanddehumanizedone.Thecomingoftheerawillbringtoanendboththesocialdivisionsofpresent-daysocietyandalsothepsychicdivisionswhichthreatenhumancreativity.

InLadyChatterley'sLover,Chatterleyisarepresentativeoftheinhumanmechanicaldeterminismofthepost-warperiod,inwhichanewtypeofhumanrelationshipbetweentheindustrialmagnatesandtheirworkersisestablished.Thebodiesandmindsofthelatterbecomedocileandmechanized,andtheyarereducedtobeinginstruments,cogsinthecolossalmachineoftheproductivesystem.Chatterley'swoundinthewarsymbolizesnotonlypsychicdeathandtheparalysisoftheextra-rationaldynamicforcesofthepsychebutalsotheinexorabledestructiveforcesofindustrialismitself.Itishispsychicbarrenness,andhisdevotiontothemechanicalprinciple,ratherthanhisphysicalimpotence,whichfrustratesthedeepestdesiresofhiswifeConnie.LawrenceshowsherchangingfundamentallythroughherencounterswithMellors,herhusband'sgamekeeper,ofaphysicalawarenessand"tenderness"whichistotallydifferentfromherpreviousmentallife.MellorsisanexampleofarecurrentfigureinLawrence'sfiction:

themanwhoresistsandstrugglesagainstarepressiverealitydominatedbyindustrialism,andwhoseekstofindnotonlyanewbasisforhumanrelationshipsbasedupon"tenderness"betweenhumanbeings,butalsotomakeitthebasisforsocialrenewal.Tothisend,hetransformshisinstinctualandunconsciouscreativeenergyintothekindofDionysiancreativerealityonwhichthepossibilityofafuturecivilizationdepends.

Inthisessay,IwilldiscussLawrence'spresentationofindustrialism,asystemwhichhashadenormouseffectsonthosesubjectedtoit;underitsinfluence,wholecommunitieshadgraduallybecomemechanized,theirspiritmadedocilebyitsdiscipline.Lawrence'sattitudetoindustrialismiscomplex,andevenambiguous:

thesocialandpsychologicaldevelopmentswhichithasmadepossiblecan（asthebeginningofTheRainbowinparticularmakesclear）helptoliberatepeoplefromgroupandtradition-basedidentities,andmakepossiblethedevelopmentofautonomousindividuality.Iwillexaminethediverseside-effectsofmodernindustrialisminmydiscussionofthemajorcharactersinLadyChatterley'sLover,linkingthesewithLawrence'svisionofarenewedpostwarworldwithanewkindofsociety,andanewbasisforhumanrelationships.Thispropheticvisionisbuiltuponthebeliefthatapre-industrial"cosmicconsciousness"canbereestablished;centraltosuchaconsciousnessisthe"tragic"recognitionandacceptanceofthetruththat"destruction"and"death"carrythepromiseofrebirth,andthattheycreatethephysicalorpsychologicalspaceneededbynewemergingformsoflife.

ChatterleyhasbeenseriouslywoundedintheGreatWar.HehasreturnedtohiscountryhouseatWragbyHall,permanentlyparalyzedfromthewaistdown,andconfinedtoamotorizedwheelchair.Sincehisreturn,hehasgainedfameasawriterofultra-modernstories,whilealsobeingatechnocratandindustrialist,developingnewtechniquesforexploitingthemines.Asacollieryownerandindustrialmaster,heisnaturallyinterestedindevelopingtheindustryfurtherand,likeGeraldinWomeninLove,hecreatesasystemwhichallowshimtodominatehisworkersthroughaharshsystemofcontrol.Hisdrivetoperfecttheorganizationandtechnologyoftheindustry,andtoturntheworkersintoinstrumentsoftheproductivesystem,arewaysofcompensatingforthephysicalparalysiscausedbyhiswarinjury;theyalsoreflecthistimestudyingmoderncoal-miningtechniquesduringhisstayinBonnbeforethewar.

InDisciplineandPunish,whichdealswiththesocio-individualcontroloperatedt）ythedisciplinarytechniquesandpowerof"carceralinstitutions"overanindividual'sbodyandhistimeandspace,MichelFoucaultexaminesthehumanbodyastheobjectandtargetofpower.Bytheeighteenthcentury,thebodyhadcomeincreasinglytobeseenasamechanismcomposedofindependentlyusableparts--"theanalyzablebody"and"themanipulativebody";theaimofthedisciplinarymechanismsestablishedthenisanincreaseinboththe"docility"andthe"utility"ofthebody.Thusthehumanbodybecomesadocileobject,aninstrumentwhichcannotonlybesubjectedandmanipulated,butwhichcanalsobeshaped,trained,transformed,andimprovedbytheexerciseofpowermechanisms:

thebodyentersamachineryofpowerthatexploresit,breaksitdown,andreorganizesitsparts.

Foucault'spowermechanism,discipline,recreatesthebodyastool,andmakespossiblethecomplexsystem,thebody-as-machine;inLadyChatterley'sLover,LawrenceillustratesthepolymorphouseffectsofChatterley'sindustrialregimeontheminers,whosebodiesaremadeinstrumentalandmechanical.Heexertshispowertomakethebodies（andspirits）ofhisworkersdociletothedemandsofthegreatmachine.LikeGerald's,hisaimisnotsomuchmaximumprofitasmaximumefficiencyintheexploitationofthenatural（andhuman）world.Thisdemandsthetotalsubjectionoftheminers'bodies--achievedbyintroducingadvancedmethodsoforganizationandthedeploymentofthelatesttechnology.

Chatterleyexerciseshistotalcontroloverhisemployeesinordertoincreaseefficiency;hisaimistoincreasetheireconomic"utility."Theminers'bodieshavetobemadeintodocileinstruments,"partsofthepitratherthanpartsoflife"（180）.Chatterley'sattitudetohisworkers（andtopeopleingeneral）isexpressedinhistwoslogans--"theindustrycomesbeforetheindividual"（180）and"thefunctiondeterminestheindividual"（183）.Buthisfearofthemenalsorevealshisownsubconsciousrecognitionthattheir`queer,crudelife'is,neverthelessfullerthanhisandthat,lookingathim,theyareawareofthis.ThemeansbywhichChatterleysetsouttoachievehisaimistheprocessFoucaultcalls"normalization"--oneoftheenormousinstrumentsofpowerinFoucauldianperspective--andtheminershavelittlechoicebuttosubmittothepowerfuldisciplineimposedinthepit,andtothemarginalizingoftheirindependence,autonomy,andvitalenergies.Theminers,regardedinthewidestsense,representthemassesandtheharshmechanicalpowersystemisanexpressionofChatterley'sstrongsenseofhisrulingclasssuperiority.Hedefendstheestablishedclassdivisionsasanecessaryelementoftheorderofthings,claimingthatthedisparitybetweenthedifferentclassesisamatterofunalterable"fate,"inwhichthemassesaredoomedtobecontrolled,tamed,anddominated.Thepower,whichhesetsouttoimpose,comesfromthedominanceoftherulingclassesoverthelowerclasses.

Chatterley'soverridingaimistoimposedisciplineonNaturesoas"tocapturethebitch-goddessbybrutemeansofindustrialprodu