The Rainbow (1915)

Abstract

The Rainbow is a most unusual novel and I doubt that you have read anything quite like it before. Certainly a reading of Sons and Lovers will not have prepared you for Lawrence’s sudden and dramatic change of method. The important thing is not to panic at this stage and go consulting criticism that might confuse you or prejudice your own responses. Keep to a method that forces you to confront the text on your terms, and helps you organise your own thoughts and impressions. By doing this you will ‘possess’ the text more securely for yourself: you will think more clearly and, ultimately, write much better. I am going to follow the same procedures as before to construct my initial analysis, so

1 After reading the novel, think about the story and what kind of pattern you can see in the text