T H E S I S
T H E S I S T H E S I S
60 puritan formula. This mentalization of sex is what Lawrence calls " white-sex", i.e., sex through the nerves and consciousness, but disintegrative, relegated to the status of a merely mechanical act. "White-sex” implies sex in the head, "cold, white, nervous, personal, bloodless, a pure matter of nerves."(APL 103) However, Lawrence*s puritan society could not understand the "phallic consciousness" the author tried to oppose to "whitesex". For the "grey puritans" sexuality in itself is indecency and dirtiness, but their morality, according to Lawrence, is false; it is based on the secrecy, and this is perversion, Ma perversion of puritanism" as Lawrence says. (APL $2) They cannot feel the real emotions of sex and the harmony between body and mind* Why speak of the "body's life" to them, if they are nsexual morons"? In Lady Chatterley*s Lover Connie and Mellors, although belonging to different social classes, achieve a vivid relation because they learn to recognize the importance of the body's life for complete sexual fulfilment6i Therefore, for people unprepared to understand the imp or», tance of physical sensations, Lawrence*s realistic doctrine is in fact inadequate. They are accustomed to fake sensations and fake explanations. Puritans tend to have two extreme attitudes concerning sex and "obscene" wordss either they are puritans, but false puritans, or they are prurient. Being puritans, those whom Lawrence calls "grey puritans", they see prurience in everything related to sex, even if it is a literary work of art. Being prurient, they have a morbid desire for everything that is “sexual". As Lawrence says, they want to keep "the little dirty
61 secret".; Neither can be of any help to Lawrence. Both suffer from a sort of "sex in the head". Lawrence wants people to deal with sex fully in the open, and to think in and to listen to the libidinous words without shuddering and without thrilling. He is puritanical in his doctrine of sex, but a different kind of puritan.1
- 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 and 44: 33 'Good Lord, Emily! But he is dea
- Page 45 and 46: 35 cock just quoted in the two prev
- 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: 59 Girordias, (11) famous editor an
- 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
- Page 95 and 96: 85 11ty shook her to her foundation
- Page 97 and 98: 87 some kind of ’'arrest'** In al
- Page 99 and 100: Chapter ¥11 CONCLUSIONS Host of th
- Page 101 and 102: 91 in a passionate love affair and
- Page 103 and 104: 93 distinguished from normal conduc
- Page 105 and 106: 95 presentative of most people's ex
- Page 107 and 108: 97 easy to say* I think that he has
- Page 109 and 110: APPENDIX NOTES 1 Title of the work
- Page 111 and 112: BIBLIOGRAPHY •* Aldington^ Richar
- Page 113 and 114: 103 Lawrence, D«E., (cont.) -"SunJ
60<br />
puritan formula. This mentalization of sex is what Lawrence<br />
calls " white-sex", i.e., sex through the nerves and consciousness,<br />
but disintegrative, relegated to the status of a merely mechanical<br />
act. "White-sex” implies sex in the head, "cold, white, nervous,<br />
personal, bloodless, a pure matter of nerves."(APL 103)<br />
However, Lawrence*s puritan society could not understand<br />
the "phallic consciousness" the author tried to oppose to "whitesex".<br />
For the "grey puritans" sexuality in itself is indecency<br />
and dirtiness, but their morality, according to Lawrence, is<br />
false; it is based on the secrecy, and this is perversion, Ma<br />
perversion of puritanism" as Lawrence says. (APL $2) They cannot<br />
feel the real emotions of sex and the harmony between body and<br />
mind* Why speak of the "body's life" to them, if they are<br />
nsexual morons"?<br />
In Lady Chatterley*s Lover Connie and Mellors, although belonging<br />
to different social classes, achieve a vivid relation because<br />
they learn to recognize the importance of the body's life<br />
for complete sexual fulfilment6i<br />
Therefore, for people unprepared to understand the imp or»,<br />
tance of physical sensations, Lawrence*s realistic doctrine is in<br />
fact inadequate. They are accustomed to fake sensations and fake<br />
explanations. Puritans tend to have two extreme attitudes<br />
concerning sex and "obscene" wordss either they are puritans,<br />
but false puritans, or they are prurient. Being puritans, those<br />
whom Lawrence calls "grey puritans", they see prurience in everything<br />
related to sex, even if it is a literary work of art. Being<br />
prurient, they have a morbid desire for everything that is<br />
“sexual". As Lawrence says, they want to keep "the little dirty