On 17/12/05 9:43 AM, "Dominic Fox" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I don't know if DHL is harder for women to stomach than men; by
> rights, men should be as offended by the preposterous sexual
> stereotypes as women, but things are never so symmetrical of course.
I think it's possible that women would find it more difficult, though he has
always had his female following. I do know men who get as cross as I do
about the sexual stereotyping (on their own behalf), but perhaps in this age
of uncertain masculinities it's possible to see the appeal of the dark
raging godhead that beats the female into adoring submission. It seems to be
rather fashionable at present.
The thing is, I can forgive Rilke his equally preposterous and silly
posturings (or any number of dead white male writers whose work I admire). I
think the real problem with Lawrence is that his writing is sometimes
execrably bad; I found myself reading some sentences in utter disbelief that
anyone could think that this was great writing. And what makes them so bad
is so close to what otherwise makes his writing compelling. (A lesson to us
all...) If you compare the prose of his novels to the sparely gorgeous
orchestration of Dubliners, for instance, its poverties become very obvious.
Joyce is not only stylistically superior; he is capable of human insights
that, in their humility, are much more profound and real than Lawrence's
bizarre homoerotic fantasies.
Though I too like Lawrence's poems and short stories. I'm told his plays
aren't bad, either, though I haven't read them.
All the best
A
Alison Croggon
Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
Editor, Masthead: http://masthead.net.au
Home page: http://alisoncroggon.com
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