Reclaiming D. H. Lawrence

This book explores the space that has opened between academic critics and working writers on the subject of D. H. Lawrence. Twenty years ago Lawrence was considered one of the most astonishing writers of the twentieth century. Subsequently, the foregrounding of obnoxious ideas associated with his art led to a phenomenal decline in his reputation at the university. He is little taught, and the books that are written about him invariably begin with a postmortem on his stature. At the same time, he remains an important if not key figure to working writers, especially poets, who regard him as one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. This book is full of voices from inside and outside the academy: students who can not and will not engage with his art; professors who condemn him for pathological sexism; Lawrence himself, who in characteristic fits of excess creates his own caricature as a sexist, crypro-fascist, and racist; and especially working writers, some seventy novelists and poets, whose correspondence (quoted at length) significantly contributes to the perception of the anomaly this book explores. The overarching design and commentary try to foster an appreciation for the Lawrence novelists and poets esteem.