Inheritance And Innovation

Thomas·Hardy is a significant author of critical realism in late nineteenth century England. David·Herbert·Lawrence is a famous author of modernism in early twentieth century England. Certainly, there are similarities but also differences between the themes of their works and means of artistic expression, the focus of discussion is on the similarities between their works. Through analyses and comparison of the similarities and differences between their works, the essay examines the works of Lawrence which inherited and transformed Hardy's style, and hence reveals the unique status and contributions of each author in the history of English literature.The first part of the essay discusses the clash between nature and civilization, which is the theme in many works of Hardy and Lawrence. First of all, their bond and attitude to nature is illustrated by revealing the background of their lives and works. The characteristic of nature in their writings as well as the role and function of nature in their works is analyzed. Moreover, they condemned the invasion and destruction inflicted by capitalistic industrial modernization on nature. Furthermore, they condemned the oppression and distortion imposed by industrial modernization on human nature; and asserted that human and nature forms an indivisible entity.The second part discusses the way Lawrence and Hardy, being defiant against social norms, disclosed all sorts of unjustifiable affairs in society. Which is apparent in their works is the condemnation against ossified traditional view on marriage and appeal for marriage based on natural love; accusation against hypocritical Christian morality, calling for the need to liberate human nature from the shackle of religion; revealing the shortcoming of capitalistic education system.The third part discusses the similarities in writing techniques between Hardy and Lawrence, especially regarding psychological analyses, which is interrelated with the unique historical background. In this aspect, Hardy's work had great impact on Lawrence's work. On the other hand, Hardy adopted traditional meaning of the use of metaphor and myth, while Lawrence had his own unique innovation regarding the use of metaphor and myth.The conclusion analyzes the cause of similarities in the works of the two authors. Based on both the similarities and differences between the two authors, it is illustrated that while Lawrence inherited work of prior people, he also had his own innovation. In conclusion, the unique status of Hardy and Lawrence in the history of English literature is revealed.