D.H. Lawrence, Music and Modernism

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1. Introduction: “Words writ to the music".-
2. “The insidious mastery of song”: Cadence and decadence in the early poems.-
3. Lawrence’s case of Wagner: The White Peacock and The Trespasser .-
4. “Between heaven and earth”: Space, music and religion in The Rainbow .-
5. “Beyond the sound of words”: Harmony and polyphony in Women in Love .-
6. Music, noise and the First World War: “All of Us”, Bay and Aaron’s Rod .-
7. New world musicals: The Plumed Serpent and David .-
8. Conclusion: Aspiring to the condition of song.-
9. Afterword: Anthony Burgess’s D. H. Lawrence Suite.

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This first book-length study of D. H. Lawrence's lifelong engagement with music surveys his extensive musical interests and how these permeate his writing, while also situating Lawrence within a growing body of work on music and modernism. A twin focus considers the music that shaped Lawrence's novels and poetry, as well as contemporary developments in music that parallel his quest for new forms of expression. Comparisons are made with the music of Debussy, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Wagner, and British composers, including Bax, Holst and Vaughan Williams, and with the musical writings of Forster, Hardy, Hueffer (Ford), Nietzsche and Pound. Above all, by exploring Lawrence and music in historical context, this study aims to open up new areas for study and a place for Lawrence within the field of music and modernism.

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The Cambridge Quarterly

D. H. Lawrence, Music and Modernism comes highly recommended: the diversity of material it brings together from across Lawrence's career is impressive in its own right, and this range will make it an excellent springboard for future work on Lawrence and music

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