MYSTICAL DISTANCE IN D.H. LAWRENCE’S SHORTER FICTION: THE SPIRIT OF PLACE AND THE LANDSCAPES OF THE HEART

Abstract

This article uses the Jungian archetypal theory to analyze a selection of shorter fictions by D.H. Lawrence (the novellas The Princess (1924), St Mawr (1925), The Woman Who Rode Away (1928), The Escaped Cock (1929) and a few short stories) where the enigmatic aspect of place and distance plays an important role in the narrative, character development and personality individuation. I single out four types of the mystical distance in D.H. Lawrence, and focus on the spatial aspect. The paper shows that each novella or short story treats “the spirit of place”, albeit in a deferent light: the place may embody the Spirit, the Shadow, the Anima or Animus archetypes. Each travelling protagonist undergoes a spiritual transformation, which is presented in non-identical patterns, and the distance they cross bears the signs of the mystical. The place serves as the physical location of the quest, while the workings of the soul reveal such forms of spiritual and mystical aspects as Spirit-Animus, Spirit-Shadow, sacrifice and rebirth.