摘 要

戴维•赫伯特•劳伦斯（通称D. H. 劳伦斯）是英国文学史上最重要的作家之一。劳伦斯以长篇小说见长，如《儿子与情人》、《虹》和《恋爱中的女人》等脍炙人口的作品。同时他也以许多中短篇小说著称，其中《木马赢家》是劳伦斯晚年创作的较为著名的短篇小说之一，发表于1926年，是现代主义小说的典例。该短篇小说表达了二十世纪英国工业革命带来的道德的枯竭和对人类本性的扼杀。

本论文选取劳伦斯的短篇小说《木马赢家》作为研究对象，深入剖析《木马赢家》的主人翁保罗在极度物化的时代背景下，他的个人悲剧的成因，其中包括他的个人原因，家庭原因以及社会原因。保罗这一悲剧形象让读者深切体会到D.H.劳伦斯对人类精神世界的人文关怀和对工业文明的反抗。

关键词：D. H. 劳伦斯;《木马赢家》；保罗；悲剧；原因

Contents

1. Introduction -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1

2. Demonstration --------------------------------------------------------------------------------3

2.1 Personal causes leading to Paul’s tragedy -----------------------------------------------3

2.1.1 Paul’s Oedipus complex -----------------------------------------------------------------3

2.1.2 Paul’s desire to replace his father ------------------------------------------------------4

2.1.3 Paul’s thirst for money -------------------------------------------------------------------5

2.1.4 Paul’s addiction to speculation ----------------------------------------------------------6

2.2 Family influences leading to Paul’s tragedy --------------------------------------------7

2.2.1 An incompetent and misleading mother -----------------------------------------------7

2.2.2 An irresponsible father -------------------------------------------------------------------8

2.2.3 A mercenary uncle------------------------------------------------------------------------9

2.3 Social climate contributing to Paul’s tragedy -------------------------------------------9

2.3.1 The highly-industrialized British society in 1920s ---------------------------------10

2.3.1.1 Man enslaved by materialism -------------------------------------------------------10

2.3.1.2 Man living in alienation triggered by industrialization --------------------------11

2.3.2 Distortion of values ---------------------------------------------------------------------12

2.3.2.1 Money worship ------------------------------------------------------------------------12

2.3.2.2 The prevalence of hedonism ---------------------------------------------------------13

1. Conclusion -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------13

Works Cited -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15

Bibliography ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16

On the Causes of Paul’s Tragedy in The Rocking-Horse Winner

1. Introduction

D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930), a famous British writer, was born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. His father was a coal miner and his mother was a primary school teacher. After graduating from high school, Lawrence worked as a staff member, teacher, and then entered the University of Nottingham to receive the teacher training.

His first novel, The White Peacock, was published in 1911. The autobiographical novel Sons and Lovers (1913) is the most influential one of his early works. This novel tells about the growth of the miner’s son Paul, especially the Oedipus complex that distorts his natural feelings. In 1912, Lawrence and Frida, wife of a professor at the University of Nottingham, ran to Italy and got married two years later. After the marriage, the Lawrences returned to the UK and lived there. But during the First World War, Frida’s German ancestry and Lawrence’s anti-war sentiment made their relationship with the British authorities so tense that they had to return to Italy. During this time, Lawrence created two of his most successful novels, The Rainbow (1915) and Women in Love (1921). Both works have strongly criticized the capitalist industrial civilization. After 1919, for health reasons, Lawrence has been traveling, to Ceylon, Australia, Mexico and some countries in continental Europe. And in these contexts, he created Kangaroo (1923) and The Plumed Serpent (1926) and other works. In March 1930, Lawrence died of tuberculosis in the town of Vence in the southeastern France.