D. H. Lawrence's Perception of Women as Reflected in His Fiction

David Herbert Lawrence is a modernist who remains controversial in literary criticism even now. The major point of debate about him is his perception of women and the relation between the two sexes. Despite his misogynic pronouncements in his essays and feminist critics' constant attack on him, this article argues that Lawrence does not hold a male chauvinist or antifemale perspective in his fiction. Through a careful survey of his major novels and short stories, this article explores the rich variety of female characters that he created and his deep insight into women's existence, and identifies him as a male writer struggling to speak for women from a non-feminist standpoint.