Re-reading Women in Love : An ecological approach

"사랑하는 여인들" 다시 읽기: 생태학적 접근

This paper attempts to prove the possibility that Women in Love can be approached by ecological thought. It is necessary to research the family of Lawrence's childhood, the environmental surroundings and Lawrence's viewpoint of nature to prove the possibility. The most urgent problem for us in the modern world is the ecological crisis due to the destructive aspect of modern civilization. This Lawrence's attitude toward the modern civilization is clearly reflected in Women in Love. Lawrence diagnoses the destructive aspects of modern civilization and the human relationship through Gerald, Gudrun, Hermione and Loerke who represent the industrial society and suggests the apocalyptic vision to the human being from the nature. Lawrence thinks that we must restore the animated power of life to revive the modern man who lost the vital power of life. Birkin and Ursula represent this thought of Lawrence and they accomplish the idealistic human relationship based upon the true love and the real life. They do not have the posture of the binomial contrast that separates the human being from the nature, This posture of the binominal brings to one of the causes of the present ecological crisis. As a result, we can say that Women in Love is the novel that belongs to the category of literary ecology. And we can regard that Lawrence previously presented the paradigm that ecologist advocates.