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The Consciousness of D. H. Lawrence

An Intellectual Biography

Daniel J. Schneider

xxvi, 208 pages, 6 x 9
Paper ISBN 978-0-7006-0452-4, $12.95

Book Cover ImageThis biography of Lawrence is unlike any other in its focus on the essential character of the artist and in its synthesis of the facts of his life and thought. It is written not for specialists, but for general readers who wish to deepen their understanding of the development of Lawrence's thought and feeling over the course of his lifetime. The author blends intellectual biography and psychology to focus on Lawrence's religious nature as a shaping force in his life.

"This is a comprehensive study of Lawrence's philosophical views from childhood onward. The author's breadth of vision and sympathetic objectivity simplify for the reader the intellectual bases of a troubled life, long misunderstood. . . . A truly helpful book."--Modern Fiction Studies

"This is very important and useful book. Schneider has taken the somewhat cliche-ridden image of Lawrence and brought him back to life. What Mallarme called the 'mysterious armature' that binds together an artist and his varied works is powerfully disclosed in this searching examination."--Richard Ellmann, author of The Consciousness of Joyce and Oscar Wilde

"Gracefully written in a way that focuses on Lawrence's way of thinking rather than on textual criticism of specific works. Very useful to the general reader and to the introductory student. . . . "--James C. Cowan, founding editor of the D.H. Lawrence Review and author of D.H. Lawrence: An Annotated Bibliography

"Schneider is at his best in explaining to the non-specialist the background of Lawrence's philosophy and psychology. He provides a lucid explanation of Lawrence's debt to Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, William James, Carpenter, Chamberlain, and others as a prelude to . . . discussions of Lawrence's major early works."--D.H. Lawrence Review

"Impressively insightful. . . . The emphasis on Lawrence's 'religious quest' makes the biographical interpretation surprisingly fresh. Recommended for both scholarly and serious general readers."--Library Journal

"In offering an overview for a general audience, Schneider succeeds in condensing masses of fact and literary criticism into a readable and often brilliantly written life."--Choice

"There is much here to interest both Lawrence scholars and a less specialized audience of readers. This is an important analysis of Lawrence's visionary imagination and the chaos and consistencies of his life."--English Literature in Transition

DANIEL J. SCHNEIDER, professor of English at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is the author of D. H. Lawrence: The Artist as Psychologist, The Crystal Cage: Adventures of the Imagination in the Fiction of Henry James, and Symbolism: The Manichean Vision.