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Rainbow, The - D. H. Lawrence Reviews

jatin15196MouthShut Verified Member
Bareilly India
It must be banned in india
Sep 15, 2017 10:30 PM 2219 Views (via Mobile)

It is a 18 plus and must be banned in india. The rainbow is a novel written by British author D.H. Lawrence. It is a controversial novel and must be banned because of the sexual nature of its content. The novel tells the story of three generations of the brangwen, a working class family trying to make sense of their lives in society. Most of the novel focuses on the differences between men and women, sexually and in marriage, and the contention that can take place in male and female relationships.There are much sexually arroused content and racism on sex and gender is seen.


I bought it for INR 400 from the local store but I am not satisfied and its not worth value.


I bought it from the near library and now I too am fed up of the racism it is arrousing and exploiting the readers.


I would never recommend such novel to any of my friend and will not ever hope that my children should read this.


No hardships with the author, I have been through many other books but this is not worth reading. Sorry


mandyrustomMouthShut Verified Member
Patna India
Story of generations
Jun 21, 2017 10:12 AM 2440 Views

It is one of the best novel written in 1915 by D.H.Lawrence. here we come across the story of three generations of a family. it covers a period of sixty five years. in this novel there is a character Ursula Brangwen who wants to live happily with her lover Skrebensky without getting married to her. Skrebensky proposes her to marry him but she refuses. he is left heart broken and leaves her. Ursula is also not happy but she is shocked to know that she is pregnant. She thinks that her decision was wrong not because she is pregnant but she loved him a lot. suddenly she sits down to write him that she was wrong and she cannot live without him. this story parallels with the story of Tom Brangwen who is her father and who loved a polish widow. she also had a child and he wanted to marry her. the climax of the novel is also very interesting. initially this book was considered as a controversial book written by Lawrence as it talked about several social taboos. there are several beautiful imagery and symbols used by the author in this novel.


unnikrishnan1259MouthShut Verified Member
Alappuzha India
Rainbow
Feb 22, 2017 03:33 PM 2903 Views

D.H. Lawrence - my latest attempt to back fill my lacking education in classic literature after years of amusing myself with fringe prose. What makes something literature vs. plain affection? who knows - I guess it's the timelessness of the story and this one certainly is that; Lawrence has the ability t depict seemingly normal occurrences in terms of their spiritual toll and psychic impact on the participants like nobody else I've read. His life story is really crazy and constantly plagued with persecution of his ideas by his chosen states of residence - I suspect because he wrote what people experience but don't talk about in public forum. I can say this - nobody I've read writers like this guy . Literature, I guess, has to contain valid and personal insights common to most people regardless of period.


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Rainbow, The - D. H. Lawrence
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Nature Sao Tome and Principe
~=~=~=~=~=Dreams of a new social order=~=~=~=~=~=~
Jul 07, 2009 11:54 PM 4877 Views

A rainbow of hope!   A new earth, new sky & new heaven!!     The rainbow will be ‘arched in the blood of the corrupt and would quiver to life in their spirit’, they will be left with no option but to ‘cast off their horny covering of disintegration and heed to the order of new growth’, where the nature and heaven work hand in hand.   DH Lawrance visualizes ‘the new rainbow’ – ‘the earth’s new architecture’, where the stale ‘castles of corruption are swept away, and the truth remain befitting to the height of heaven’.


DH Lawrance’s controversial novel, ‘The Rainbow’ is a story of three generations through them the author express his views on society, relations, religion and values of life.  When we say, it is a story of 3 generations, don’t get an impression that it is a heavy book.   It is comparatively a small book where the author used the story only to explain his views in simplest language.  The author tells the story in flying speed and air drop messages.  I will limit the review on the messages, where the story was only a sweet cover.


Women:They are free thinkers and capable of saying ‘no’ and choosing their path.   Lawrence gives three images of woman from three generations.  One: the woman who is depending on man, weak in health and ambition.  The second: a woman who is healthy and ambitious but they reduce themselves to love for family life, children and relation.   Third: The Woman who has ambitions, go for studies, work and earn for herself, free in sex and in choosing relation.  One who thinks that ‘woman’s body is not only for getting pregnant and her strength only to use for husband and children’.   In fact, it is through Ursula who represents the third generation, the author tried to bring his vision of the rainbow to the world.


Love & Marriage:The relation between a Man and woman is discussed in many places.   In the earlier generation, love was an accident or was a by product of dependency.   The religion had a greater say, where the leading male character says that“So I say, an Angel is the soul of man and woman in one: they rise united at the Judgment Day, as one Angel——” In the second generation, it was an emotion and relation to keep the family running.   Take the pleasures from the family life and the duty is limited to feed the children.The new generation, however, finds that Love is a search, a way. They”believe that love was a way, a means, not an end in itself,”  “And always the way of love would be found. But whither did it lead? Love and passion get distinguished“Passion is only part of love. And it seems so much because it can’t last. That is why passion is never happy.”  The novel ends where the author tries to stress that the relations based on passion doesn’t matter.


Death:The author discusses ‘death’ in many places.   The old generation considered it as a part of life and ignored its importance. In the second generation, the death was something which we have to fear and cannot avoid. The easiness at which the death comes in this part is shocking.   However, look at the way the new generation looks at death, “from her grandmother’s peaceful room, the door opened on to the greater space, the past, which was so big, that all it contained seemed tiny, loves and births and deaths, tiny units and features within a vast horizon. That was a great relief, to know the tiny importance of the individual, within the great past.


Religion:The author seems have more misunderstanding on religion and he do not have any faith in its ability to work for the well being of the people or society.   He feels that the religion is creating a false sky where we cannot see a rainbow and wasting our time.  He finds duty as the priority.   He feels that the work oriented weekdays are more worthwhile than the spiritual oriented Sundays.   He even does not see a meaning in the resurrection in spirit.   He says in the book, The Resurrection is to life, not to death. Shall I not see those who have risen again walk here among men perfect in body and spirit, whole and glad in the flesh, living in the flesh, loving in the flesh, begetting children in the flesh, arrived at last to wholeness, perfect without scar or blemish, healthy without fear of ill health?


Nation:The author is highly against the corrupt system run by war mongering and power hungry people who do not care for the natural feelings of its citizens.   He feels that now the democracy “is so unspiritual” and is hijacked by the money-minded people. “Only the greedy and ugly people come to the top in a democracy,”“because they’re the only people who will push themselves there. Only degenerate races are democratic.” The author wrote the book while Britain was controlling many parts of the world including India.  Look at his opinion, “You think the Indians are simpler than us, and so you’ll enjoy being near them and being a lord over them,” “And you’ll feel so righteous, governing them for their own good. Who are you, to feel righteous? What are you righteous about, in your governing? Your governing stinks. What do you govern for, but to make things there as dead and mean as they are here!”   He feels that democracy based on money is false and aristocrats are better than democracy based on money where at least the aristocrats have brains along with money.  Lawrance’s dream is to have a just society, where the rich and poor remain equal, have good governance and the freedom of other individuals and nations are honored.


Complexes:  Many leading characters of the novel have the presence of the Oedipus complex (A son’s attraction to mother) or Electra complex (A daughter’s attraction to father).   The author doesn’t permit the complexes to grow in his characters, but he visibly recognizes its presence.   The author doesn’t make any statement, or these complexes make any impact in the life of the characters.  Here we have to assume that the author considers the psychological barriers are nothing when it compare to the social barriers.   However, the presence of ‘lesbian’ thoughts in the new generation character and its infatuation is depicted beautifully.


Overall, the novel is the author’s vision on various subjects which took a cover with many characters and situations.   There is not much for light readers of novel for a story, but there have excellent thoughts spread in the novel for who is ready to swim against the tide.


THE RAINBOW
Sep 09, 2005 03:13 PM 27124 Views

THE RAINBOW as usual like most DH Lawrence novels deals with some so called controversial themes involving religion, pre marital sex, homosexuality etc. More than anything it explores a new style of writing which was never explored before. Lawrence in THE RAINBOW largely dispenses with plot as the major structural device. The novel does tell the story of 3 generations in a family and the various attempts by members of this Brangwen family to achieve selfhood. But instead of a narrator holding the story there is a central theme which ultimately brings in the unity.


THE STORY


''The Brangwens had lived for generations on the Marsh Farm, in the meadows where the Erewash twisted sluggishly through alder trees, separating Derbyshire from Nottinghamshire...'' Thus starts the story of the Brangwens with highlights on Tom and Lydia. Anna Tom’s step daughter grows up and marries Will Brangwen. Her daughter Ursula goes through a journey of self discovery in which she falls in and out of love with Anton Skrebensky, gets pregnant, loses her child, falls for her teacher Winifred Inger and struggles to educate herself and become economically independent.


CHARACTERS


The most important character is that of Ursula Brangwen who has in turn several characters revolving around her life. One of the unique features of THE RAINBOW is Lawrence’s treatment of characters. Sometimes it becomes impossible to determine which character is the true protagonist. Towards the beginning you feel that Tom Brangwen is important and soon after focus shifts to his step daughter Anna. In place of emphasis on characters, Lawrence traces a circuitous journey through three generations-alternating voices of three generations of Brangwen women. Each of these three women are given their space to find the path of their own rainbow. The word ''journey'' itself is repeated frequently enough, and the torch of change is constantly being passed along. The journey traces from the Polish widow, Lydia Lensky to her Brangwen husband, Tom, her daughter, Anna Lensky/ Brangwen to another Brangwen, Will, and eventually to the ''heiress'' of Brangwen memories-Ursula.


THE RAINBOW ELEMENT


Ursula finds her rainbow at the end though her journey continues in the next book WOMEN IN LOVE. Rainbow is the symbol of hope and rejuvenation. A bridge which joins aspirations and dreams to reality. Its seven colors, the different aspects of the mysteries of life. The striking scene in the book is the one involving horses when Ursula crosses to the other side and the illusory horses spare her.She survives to find her rainbow.


URSULA The most interesting generation of the Brangwen is the third one, focused on Ursula (she and her sister Gudrun will be the protagonists of WOMEN IN LOVE published in 1917). She was different from her mother and did not like sharing her fecundity with all the zeal Anna showed. Like Lydia she was also not satisfied finding the otherness of self in the opposite sex(Tom) Ursula like the modern woman wanted more. It was really interesting to see a female character in those times strive for a more independent life. Her struggle with her parents was more convincing and will seem to be justified to you. But there are many things which remain unanswered. Like her immature relationship with Anton. What really did she feel for him. Was there no other man than Anton? Was she confused about her sexuality? If she loved Anton then why was she attracted to Winifred ? The same sex relationship is left mid way unresolved. Winifred had a powerful influence on Ursula, it is possible that the independent element in Ursula came from her. Then how does she vanish from her life?


STRIKING SCENES


Anna Brangwen nee Lensky while pregnant undresses and slowly dances ritualistically in her room before the fire. · Ursula and Anton make love under the moon. · Winifred and Ursula go for a swim in the rain. · The horses scene with Ursula


SENSUALITY


Lawrence’s prose has a very fine element about it. It never seems vulgar to you until and unless you are very very puritanical. Enjoy the book and look for the review of the next part: ‘Women In Love’.


Also check out my review on 'Madame Bovary'


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