「ロレンス研究」の研究

初期受容史をめぐって

抄録

Lawrence's reputation as a major writer in English Literature was established in the mid-1950s. He was either ignored or severely criticized prior to that period. The so-called“Lawrence revival”took place in the mid-1950s, inspired by a series of critical studies by F.R. Leavis. This outline of Lawrence's reception seems to be generally accepted in Lawrence studies. This paper is an attempt to examine the validity of this outline, and to propose a little modification to it.
First, obituary articles are reviewed in order to trace the characteristics of the criticism Lawrence received. Then, some signs of an improvement in evaluation after World War II will be observed. The paper points out a sort of movement or tendency to appreciate Lawrence's anti-intellectual philosophy from a humanistic point of view. It will also be suggested that Leavis' critical attitude and his influence on the literary scene have something in common with this humanistic ideological current of the post-war society.