Heroes of the natural world in selected works of Jean Giono and D.H. Lawrence

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to identify and to define the heroes of the natural world in selected works of Jean Giono and D. H. Lawrence. The natural characters, personages whose literary representation is partially determined by their relationship to entities composing the physical universe, will be described; the heroes of the natural world, those natural characters with heroic status, will be ascertained; and a criterion for conferring the status of hero on certain of these characters of the natural world will be established. The works which will be considered herein are: The Tri¬ logy of Pan (Colline, Un de Baumugnes and Regain), Le Serpent d'Etoiles, and Le Chant du Monde by Jean Giono, The White Peacock, The Fox, St. Mawr, The Virgin and the Gipsy and Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence. The first chapter will introduce the philosophy and the terminology of the paper. Certain terms must be defined and a general typology of heroes of the natural world will be outlined. Chapter II, "Elemental Men: Characterization and Symbolism in Jean Giono", will examine the development of a character in terms of its relationship to nature - specifically, to the four, basic components of the physical universe: earth, air, fire and water. The symbolic functions of these images in characterization will also be assessed in each of the works by Giono. Chapter III, "Elemental Men: Characterization and Symbolism in D. H. Lawrence", will repeat the procedure of Chapter II as it applies to the works of D. H. Lawrence. Chapter IV, "Four Faces of Heroism", examines what makes the natural character heroic. A standard for establishing the identity of heroes of the natural world will be detailed and conclusions about these figures will be drawn.