BOOK REVIEW – D. H. LAWRENCE – THINGS. In STORIES, ESSAYS & POEMS. 1969
Everyman Press.
An obscure but excellent and very short and rather sad story by the author of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, albeit without any of the sexual controversy of the longer work. A couple of young American idealists, Valerie and Erasmus, decide to avoid working for a living to explore the beauty of Europe, as they have a fascination for Renaissance art. They settle in Paris, gathering a collection of beautiful art and furniture and quickly learn the language, but try as they might, they cannot bring themselves to feel French.
They move to Italy, where they develop an interest in Theosophy and Buddhism, and again, for a time, they feel contented, but the eruption of World War One shatters their sense of personal need – they feel compelled to help the allies as best they can, and guilty that their efforts to escape the rat race have made them selfish.
After the war, they run low on money and return to America. After a brief sojourn with a rich millionaire in California, and having a house with lots of labour saving devises, they feel increasingly empty inside.
The beautiful things they have accumulated begin to tire them so they cast them into storage but then they miss them. Finally, the husband, and now a father, has to work, teaching the history of places that no longer fire him with life and enthusiasm.
It’s a sad story, about a sense of freedom that ultimately feels wasted. Virtually all happiness turns sour for the couple who end up right back where they started, feeling trapped. Their things mean nothing to them any more. Their beauty, and possibly even their sanity have been ravaged. Their child is merely a burden to them. This is a story of alienation and despair.
© Copyright. Arthur Chappell
LINK
TO THIS PAGE http://arthurchappell.me.uk/book.review-d.h.lawrence-things.htm
LINKS TO OTHER PEOPLES PAGES E-mail arthur@chappell7300.freeserve.co.uk
UPDATES MYSPACE - http://www.myspace.com/arthurchappell
FACEBOOK - http://profile.to/arthurchappell/
FACEBOOK BLOG http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blogpage.php?blogid=85623
MY BOOKS - http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=952521