T H E S I S

65
So the general subject matter of LCL may be broken down in~
to two major themes: the relations of men and women and the relations
of men and machine. The last is the problem of the industrial
structure and its effects on men and nature. In fact,
there is a close relationship between the mechanical world of
industrialism and mechanical sex, the second being a by-product
of the first0; Both are condemned by Lawrence through Connie and
Mellors, The first theme is much more developed and important,
with the second as its background, but they are ultimately linked
and as John B.Wilson points out, Lawrence ”... in effect rejected
civilization and wanted men to go back to the "natural
world” of instinct,” (ELS 286)
Lawrence always emphasized the importance of the man-woman
theme in LCL:
” 1 always labour at the same thing, to make the sex relation
valid and precious, instead of shameful. And this novel is
the furthest I've gone. To me it is beautiful and tender
and frail as the naked self is.”(LCL XV) ^3)
Lawrence preaches a new doctrine, based on everything he
has written up to LCL: a new relationship between man and woman
which he calls ”phallic consciousness”, opposed to ”mental consciousness”,
that is to say, mental life without the necessary
and proper physical and sexual relations. According to J.B.Wilson,
LCL was banned because "it too frankly glorified physical
love”«(ELS 286) This would.be valid if the main concern of the
story were "sex consciousness”, that is to say, body without
mind, sex without mind. But this is certainly not true and J.B.’
Wilson is one of the critics who simply joined their voices to
a crowd of detractors like T.S.Eliot, without having a perfect