The Rainbow

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert), 1885-1930Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.6

Word count: 1M words
Chapters: 104

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Rainbow by D. H. LawrenceAuthor: Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert), 1885-1930,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: May 23, 2009

Editor's review

The Rainbow is a pivotal work in Lawrence's career as a novelist. Centred on the loves and marriages of three generations of the Brangwen family, it interweaves personal desire and relations between the sexes with the encroachment of industrial civilisation on rural life, displaying the author's signature psychological depth and intense natural imagery. The novel advances generation by generation, dense with interior monologue and symbolic scenes; it demands some patience, but once readers settle into its rhythm they feel Lawrence's insistent questioning of love and self-fulfilment. This edition is a free English public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg, making the original accessible at little cost. It suits study of the English modernist novel and serves as advanced reading for those interested in the arc of Lawrence's work. Note that the book contains fairly explicit emotional and physical writing, best understood in the context of its period and literary history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars of the English modernist novel and of Lawrence's work
Adult readers interested in themes of sexuality and family generations
Advanced English readers who wish to read a classic long novel closely in the original
Organisers who need a public-domain English text for courses or reading groups

Not a good fit for

Readers of popular fiction who prefer fast plots and clear endings
Younger teenagers not yet ready for explicit emotional writing
Beginners with limited English reading experience who would struggle with a long psychological narrative

Reading tips

First sort out the relationships among the three generations of the Brangwen family, perhaps keeping brief genealogical notes as you read.
Watch for recurring images such as water, the rainbow, and the land, and consider their symbolic role in the characters' inner lives.
After finishing, compare with Lawrence's other works of the period and with background on English modernism to deepen your understanding.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I read this without having read other works by Lawrence?

Yes. The characters and plot stand relatively on their own, so no prior reading is required. Familiarity with the English modernist literary background will, however, help you understand the psychological writing and symbolism.

Is the book difficult to read?

It is moderately to considerably difficult. It is long, dense with interior monologue and symbolic scenes, and the generational narrative requires readers to track relationships themselves. Read slowly and take notes rather than trying to race through.

Is the content suitable for teenagers?

The book contains fairly explicit writing about sexual feeling and the body and is better suited to adult readers. Teenagers should read it with guidance from a teacher or parent and discuss it in the context of literary history.

What characterises this electronic edition?

It is a free English public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg and based on an early printing. It is convenient for reading on a device or for distributing as a course or reading-group text.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert), 1885-1930 Author

D. H. Lawrence (David Herbert Lawrence, 1885–1930) was an English novelist, poet and essayist. The library holds 25 of his works, including the novels Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love and The Lost Girl, the short-story collections The Prussian Officer and England, My England, and the travel book Twilight in Italy. His writing often draws on mining and rural life and focuses on relations between men and women, class, and the pressure modern civilization places on individual vitality, with a candid style that is sensuous and psychologically searching, at once poetic and forceful. Because his work boldly touched on desire and social taboo, he was controversial in his lifetime and is now regarded as a major voice in twentieth-century English literature. Detailed information beyond his works is limited, so this note relies on the available works and established common knowledge.