Crossing the Barrier of Class: On Constance Chatterley's Choice in D. H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover

• Main Authors: Luo Ta-hsiang, 羅大翔
• Other Authors: Chen Ching-chi
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2000
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/24637825054900384659

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 88 === Abstract The intention of this thesis is to explore the process of how Connie crosses the barrier of class, makes her own choice, and attains a whole new life. D. H. Lawrence, from the industrial working-class himself, is always annoyed at and haunted by the nightmare of class which makes him feel depressed and frustrated because it is exactly the crucial point to cause the decline of “the feeling of oneness and community with our fellow-men” (Lawrence, Phoenix II 513). Therefore, Lawrence’s purpose of composing Lady Chatterley’s Lover is that he attempts to get away from the nightmare of class, breaks through the shackles of class, and restore the natural flow of common sympathy between human beings. Because he recognizes that the barrier of class is the leading factor to result in the imbalance between men and men, and men and women, Lawrence, in his “A Propos of Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” cogently points out that he wants “men and women to be able to think sex, fully, completely, honestly, and cleanly” (Lawrence, Phoenix II 489). For Lawrence, the true meaning of sex involves in the whole of a human being; that is, body and mind are inseparable, and the integrity of body and mind is absolutely necessary. In this sense, only through sex can the barrier of class be disrupted, and Lady Chatterley’s Lover is exactly the story about the continuous process of Connie’s sexual awakening and regeneration. The heart of this novel, of course, is the sequence of eight sexual episodes between Connie and Mellors. For both of them, the eight sexual meetings are a step-by-step initiation into the new sexuality; namely, the actual sexual intercourse is less noticeable, and it has gradually shifted from the physical discourse to the mental discourse. According to Foucault, sexuality is a mode of discourse; that is, sexual intercourse can not be only regarded as a kind of physical discourse but also a kind of mental discourse. Moreover, discourses for Foucault are loci of power, and through the practice of discourses, power is exercised in our society. In this sense, Connie has finally been aware of the power derived from the practice of mental discourse, and Foucault calls it “bio-technico-power”, which is artificial and is similar to Nietzsche’s “will to power”. That is, like Foucault and Nietzsche, Lawrence also notices the power of human free will. And it is this human free will which enables Connie to have the power to break through the barrier of class and complete her wholeness of self when she must make her own choice between Clifford and Mellors. The thesis consists of five chapters. In addition to the introduction in Chapter One and the conclusion in Chapter Five, this thesis includes three more chapters. In Chapter Two, I will explore the concept of “class” in British industrial society and see how it is represented in Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Chapter Three will focus on the exploration of how Foucault’s notions of sexuality and power are closely connected with Lawrence’s own theory of sex. Chapter Four will be the study of how Foucault’s theory is operated in this novel and how Connie, through the exercise of Foucault’s notions of sexuality and power, rises above the barrier of class and makes her own choice.