T H E S I S
T H E S I S T H E S I S
3^ ter grip of me, he put his arm around me and pressed me against him, and the sweetness of the touch of our naked bodies one against the other was superb.(TWP 257) Now, keeping in mind Freud's theories on homosexuality, mainly, that it is a result of arrested development or a reaction to restraint, I cannot feel it otherwise in relation to Cyril - Lawrence. Lawrence was probably not aware - at least he did not mention it, even when it echoed in the wrestling scene of Women in Love - of the fact that unsatisfactory sexual, relationships between man and woman might lead to homosexuality* In fact, the kind of man-to-man relationships he insisted on, with its implications which he probably never fully realized, were an alternative for the relationships with women. Freud also regards homosexuality as *'a bisexual predisposition related to the inversion (of the sexual object - especially in those victims of the Oedipus complex), although we don't know what does this predisposition consist of.*'(ETS lMf) However, H.T.Moore, a critic who always tries to protect Lawrence against undesirable blemishes, maintains that despite all innuendos, Lawrence does not seem to have been an homosexual; certainly no one spoke out on sexual matters more boldly and clearly, and there is no passage in his works in which he writes approvingly of sexual relations between men - that is, of sexual gratification in such a union. Indeed, he writes disapprovingly of such things."(TIH 82) Let's accept what we overtly see in Cyril-George*s intimacy: two men striving for spiritual harmony through physical contact but without overt sexual activity. This should be Lawrence's blut- brttderschaft. But I think that the passage from The White Pea
35 cock just quoted in the two previous pages, partly disproves Moore’s statement. Maybe for Moore homosexuality is only a sexual relation between men, probably including anality. Certainly homosexuality does include sexual practices between men, even anality, but it does not exclude the possibility that it is only the necessity for man’s contact and the pleasure of being with man instead of woman, as we see in The White Peacock. The "latent” homosexuality of Cyril and George is confirmed by the idealistic and indirect style of the book, which tends to substitute fantasies for realities, or men (’ego” substitutes) for women. Cyril tends to be more ’roused” by' the contact with nature than by the contact with women, and he tends to substitute Emily for George. While the triangle George-Lettie-Leslie is the basis of the main plot in The White Peacock? the secondary plot which presents the same failure and sexual unfulfilment, deals with the relation of Cyril to George’s sister Emily. Jessie’s history as Lawrence's first girl-friend was the background for Lawrence's creation of Cyril and Emily, and both in real life and in fiction the relationship was unsatisfactory and practically platonic. Hhile Jessie launched the artist in Lawrence and seemed to ignore the man, he simply ignored the woman in Jessie. They were both puritanical as we can see in Jessie's A Personal Record and the same puritanism is seen in the novel in relation to Emily and Cyril. Even an innocent kiss, so common in the story, (written under Jessie’s influence and even supervision), is denied to Emily though she and Cyril have experienced years of close friendship. What prevents Cyril - Lawrence from loving Emily - Jessie
- Page 1 and 2: Mo ï»e THESIS D. H0 IAWBENGE: SEX
- Page 3 and 4: Esta Tese foi julgada adequada para
- Page 5 and 6: TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations Mbs
- Page 7 and 8: vil PGB - Portrait of a Genius« Bu
- Page 9 and 10: R E S U M O D« H. Lawrence fez do
- Page 11 and 12: Chapter I INTRODUCTION A, A, Victor
- Page 13 and 14: 3 misunderstood sexual theme, is go
- Page 15 and 16: 5 identical reasoning: nThere can s
- Page 17 and 18: 7 attitudes. In this respect, it is
- Page 19 and 20: 9 rence ’s works in his book The
- Page 21 and 22: Chapter II PURITANISM DEFINED Histo
- Page 23 and 24: 33 The actual meaning we find in di
- Page 25 and 26: 15 and lie alone right. Having run
- Page 27 and 28: 17 presents the Freudian imbroglio
- Page 29 and 30: 19 it is perhaps worth noticing tha
- Page 31 and 32: 21 but in many other parts of the b
- Page 33 and 34: or inhibited action we are tempted
- Page 35 and 36: 25 And about Cyril (himself) he sai
- Page 37 and 38: 27 The tall meadow-sweet was in bud
- Page 39 and 40: 29 genitals. Certainly Lawrence's p
- Page 41 and 42: 31 Of course, one can imagine how i
- Page 43: 33 'Good Lord, Emily! But he is dea
- Page 47 and 48: 37 frustrated: Mr, and Mrs. Beardsa
- Page 49 and 50: 39 So far, Lawrence’s early views
- Page 51 and 52: hi rainbow arch; it is the “toget
- Page 53 and 54: ^3 Lawrence said in his defence: "T
- Page 55 and 56: ubbing passage of The White Peacock
- Page 57 and 58: eautiful."(TRB 238) Why afraid? Bec
- Page 59 and 60: Chapter V LAURENCE AND PORNOGRAPHY
- Page 61 and 62: 51 sions then is Freud’s theory o
- Page 63 and 64: 53 male, in a negative or sundering
- Page 65 and 66: 55 he directly faced the censors an
- Page 67 and 68: 57 "the whole question of pornograp
- Page 69 and 70: 59 Girordias, (11) famous editor an
- Page 71 and 72: 61 secret".; Neither can be of any
- Page 73 and 74: 63 by January 1928 and is now widel
- Page 75 and 76: 65 So the general subject matter of
- Page 77 and 78: 67 The real theme, which recurs in
- Page 79 and 80: 69 built of rusticated sandstone an
- Page 81 and 82: 71 who want to dominate them, Mello
- Page 83 and 84: 73 question Lawrence puts to himsel
- Page 85 and 86: 75 the mechanical images are deflec
- Page 87 and 88: 77 lies, navels, and breasts* (It h
- Page 89 and 90: 79 Maybe they are the truth some cr
- Page 91 and 92: 81 heave her loins, and throw the m
- Page 93 and 94: 83 ’'darkness” is present in M
3^<br />
ter grip of me, he put his arm around me and pressed me<br />
against him, and the sweetness of the touch of our naked<br />
bodies one against the other was superb.(TWP 257)<br />
Now, keeping in mind Freud's theories on homosexuality,<br />
mainly, that it is a result of arrested development or a reaction<br />
to restraint, I cannot feel it otherwise in relation to Cyril -<br />
Lawrence. Lawrence was probably not aware - at least he did not<br />
mention it, even when it echoed in the wrestling scene of Women<br />
in Love - of the fact that unsatisfactory sexual, relationships<br />
between man and woman might lead to homosexuality* In fact, the<br />
kind of man-to-man relationships he insisted on, with its implications<br />
which he probably never fully realized, were an alternative<br />
for the relationships with women. Freud also regards homosexuality<br />
as *'a bisexual predisposition related to the inversion<br />
(of the sexual object - especially in those victims of the Oedipus<br />
complex), although we don't know what does this predisposition<br />
consist of.*'(ETS lMf)<br />
However, H.T.Moore, a critic who always tries to protect<br />
Lawrence against undesirable blemishes, maintains that<br />
despite all innuendos, Lawrence does not seem to have<br />
been an homosexual; certainly no one spoke out on sexual<br />
matters more boldly and clearly, and there is no passage<br />
in his works in which he writes approvingly of sexual relations<br />
between men - that is, of sexual gratification in<br />
such a union. Indeed, he writes disapprovingly of such<br />
things."(TIH 82)<br />
Let's accept what we overtly see in Cyril-George*s intimacy: two<br />
men striving for spiritual harmony through physical contact but<br />
without overt sexual activity. This should be Lawrence's blut-<br />
brttderschaft.<br />
But I think that the passage from The White Pea
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