Into the Isle of Self : Nietzschean Patterns and Contrasts in D. H. Lawrence's The Trespasser

Abstract: This thesis is based on a close reading of Lawrence's novel The Trespasser from a Nietzschean point of view. By adopting this perspective it aims at giving the novel the sense of unity it has so far been alleged to lack. The analysis is preceded by a detailed discussion of the concept of literary influence. Since the purpose of this study is to illuminate what is unique in Lawrence's novel rather than to claim any derivative use of Nietzsche's thought, the focus is on Lawrence's transformative and dynamic way of adopting Nietzschean themes in his novel. The Trespasser is read in its Edwardian context, with particular attention to the response that Nietzsche's philosophy met with 1900-1910. A separate section is devoted to the presentation of him in the Socialist weekly The New Age in 1908-09. The analysis of The Trespasser is conducted along two partly related lines of thought: the Apollonian-Dionysian dichotomy as it is presented by Nietzsche in The Birth of Tragedy, and the process towards a Dionysian awareness that is put forward in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. As is pointed out in chapter three, the Apollonian-Dionysian contrast is reflected chiefly in the characterization, setting, symbolism, and to some degree also in the action of the novel. In chapter four the actual progression of the plot is dealt with in terms of a Zarathustran journey and the light symbolism associated with it. Moreover, some of Lawrence's early poems are discussed in connection with Nietzschean parallels found in The Trespasser, with a view to emphasizing the pervasive influence of Nietzsche's ideas on the young Lawrence.