Shakespeare's Hamlet and Lawrence Agonistes
The Early Phase
Description:... This book is the first to examine the influence of Shakespeareâ "particularly Hamletâ "on D. H. Lawrence. Using the Bloomian theory of the â oeanxiety of influenceâ to probe the startling depths of Lawrenceâ (TM)s agon with his towering precursor Shakespeare, it closely examines Lawrenceâ (TM)s crypto-Jewish identity, as well as that of many of his highly individual characters, who embody the characteristics of Old Testament figures, and in so doing infuse a patriarchal strength and divine â oereligiousâ sublimity into civilized life. Lawrenceâ (TM)s claims about the self-sacrificing influence of Christianity on Shakespeareâ (TM)s Hamlet, on the other hand, demonstrate how this influence carries over into the submission of the subject and the decline of Western Civilization. The book extrapolates this decline into a critique of the modern-day left-wing ideology that appropriates the self-abnegating individual to its collectivist ends. In responding agonistically to Shakespeareâ (TM)s Hamlet, Lawrence claims a far more complete, vital, and salubrious â oeconsciousnessâ and a Weltanschauung that makes for greater, more fulfilling â oelifeâ thanks to the inner strength, psychic and sexual power of the Lawrentian â oeSelf Supreme.â
The book will appeal to Lawrence and Shakespeare scholars and enthusiasts who wish to appreciate Lawrence and Shakespeare as supremely profound writers and thinkers. Its unique demonstration of Bloomian literary theory makes it come poignantly alive for both graduate students and college professors.
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