In Defiance of Meaning: A Study of D. H. Lawrence’s Apocalyptic Vision

Abstract

D. H. Lawrence was one of the most controversial writers of the twentieth century who dared to criticize established convention through both his fictional and non fictional works. To this end, he moved away from literary conventions and used language in a new way, took well- known symbols and transformed them into vectors of his own individual and unique thought. Through an examination of his work , Apocalypse, my aim, in this article, is to show how Lawrence negates orthodox religious thinking, by showing not only how religious scribes mutilated and destroyed an original pagan text, but also, how a morphological shift in language helped fuel false ideals. Taking Stoicism as his starting point, I will try to prove that the doctrine of Zeno of Citium, concerning man’s affinity with the universe, forms the kernel of truth for his own personal philosophy. This article is divided into three sections. The first section will show how Lawrence shared many of the beliefs of Zeno of Citium, the founder of the philosophy of Stoicism. The second section aims to show how Lawrence defies meaning through an examination of the Book of Revelation. The third section explores apocalyptic symbols revealing Lawrence’s unique interpretation of them.