The Short Fiction of D.H. Lawrence is a collection of Lawrence’s short stories. Lawrence was an English novelist who was a prolific writer and artist, and this collection emphasizes his perspective on how modernization and the world after the Industrial Revolution has dehumanized much of the population around the world. Not only does Lawrence talk about the typical topics addressed during these discussions, such as emotional health and sexuality, but he also mentions different ideas such as instinctiveness and spontaneity.
Lawrence’s writing reflected much of his experiences in politics, as he was on the extreme right and wasn’t particularly appreciative of democratic, socialist, or liberalist movements. However, his opinions were heavily judged by critics, and even governments censored his works. After experiencing war during WWI, Lawrence started traveling outside of Britain, to places all over Europe, Asia, the Americas, and even Australia. However, at the time of his death, the general view of his life was that he wasted much of his talents writing things that weren’t socially accepted during his time.
He digs deep into family and responsibility in "The Rocking Horse Winner." "Odour of Chrysanthemums" is a short story that poses questions for the reader about marriage and relationship dynamics. Quite a few other stories also explore the dynamics in a marriage and the liberties that each person may take. "The Prussian Officer" then delves into the complexities of homosexuality. The themes that Lawrence digs deep into through his writing are expressed with great imagination and meticulously crafted stories, compiled together in this novel.
