10 of 1001 Books: D.H Lawerence's Women In Love

After reading The Rainbow I may have got a little more excited than I should have to read Women in Love. Women in Love though seems like a lot more philosophical pondering and less story than The Rainbow had. Ursula almost seems to all have but forgotten the past rocky loves she had, and Gundrun is her sister that is more expanded on in this novel. What keeps the novel a bit more interesting is the two men they fall for, who seem to have a bit of a crush on each other. I would have appropriately retitled this one Men In love.

Summary: Gundrun is an art teacher, and Ursula is still a school teacher, but the two somehow seem to have also fallen into a higher society at the introduction of Hermoine that is apart from the lifestyle they grew up in Beldover in. The two women meet Rupert and Gerald, who are best friends. Ursula falls for Rupert, and Gundrun falls for Gerald. You can't help to wonder why the artist falls for the industrialist though while the school teacher falls for the more intellectual of the two. The reverses just seem better suited. While the women just want the men to love them, it seems the men seem to debacle with their own feelings toward each other, and their own places in the world and what drives them.

9 of 1001 Books: D.H Lawrence's The Rainbow

At the moment I have mixed feelings about the book. On one hand I enjoyed it quite a bit, but there were parts that were so difficult to read through. The novel caused quite a stir though for certain imagery presented in the book. With the three generations establishing the progression of the world they also do change in how they lives their lives from generation to generation. Many of the women express themselves sexually, though not graphically. In 1915 though it was very graphic for the time.

Summary: This book follows three generations of the Brangwen family as it shows their family grow from Tom, who is a hard working farmer who marries a Polish woman, to Anna Brangwen, who marries her cousin, Will, and begins a very volatile marriage, and lastly Ursula, who has quite an adventurous personality leading her to be a prestige teacher with many dramatic relationships including Anton her first love, and a lesbian relationship with a teacher. Each life is changed by the job and relationships they decide to bring in their lives as the backdrop of the economy and politics of Britain changes behind them.