The Rainbow
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Summary
Editor's review
As an editor, I believe the book's value lies in its prophetic power, which transcends its time. As early as 1915, Lawrence acutely grasped the spiritual predicament of modern people—how, when traditional values have collapsed and a new order has yet to emerge, they can find balance between repressive social norms and the authentic impulses of life. Ursula Brangwen's trajectory of growth is not only a woman's journey of self-discovery but also a symbol of humanity's eternal struggle toward wholeness of being. The novel's symbol-laden natural imagery (such as the rainbow, the moon, and the horses) stands in stark contrast to the cold landscape of industrial civilization, constructing Lawrence's distinctive aesthetic of a "blood consciousness."
Readers should be warned that, because of its bold depictions of sexual psychology and its anti-traditional ethical stance, the novel was banned in the year of its publication, and Lawrence was accordingly mired in controversy. Read today, however, we find that its true subversiveness lies not in surface boldness but in its sincere celebration of the vital forces of life and its ruthless critique of mechanical civilization. Reading The Rainbow requires some patience: its narrative rhythm is at times as unhurried as a pastoral idyll, at times as turbulent as stream of consciousness, yet it is precisely this measured modulation that gives the work its weighty epic quality.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who wish to gain a deeper understanding of British modernist literary classics and their social context
- Literary enthusiasts interested in psychological characterization and stream-of-consciousness narrative technique
- Thinkers concerned with themes of women's growth and the evolution of gender relations
- Explorers seeking, in literature, a critique of industrial civilization and a spiritual way forward
Not a good fit for
- General readers in pursuit of fast-paced plots and strong storytelling
- Readers with conservative attitudes toward depictions of sexual psychology and anti-traditional values
Reading tips
- It may help to first learn about the social context of 1910s England, especially life in the Midlands in the later stages of the Industrial Revolution
- Pay attention while reading to Lawrence's distinctive symbolic system, such as the opposition between natural and mechanical imagery
- Reading this book in parallel with Lawrence's sequel Women in Love allows a more complete grasp of his intellectual trajectory
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 译本序
- 第一章 汤姆·布兰文娶下一位波兰太太
- 第二章 他们在沼泽农庄上的生活
- 第三章 安娜·兰斯基的童年
- 第四章 安娜·布兰文做姑娘的时候
- 第五章 沼泽农庄上的婚礼
- 第六章 安娜·维克特里克斯
- 第七章 大教堂
- 第八章 孩子
- 第九章 沼泽农庄的水灾
- 第十章 日益扩大的生活圈子
- 第十一章 初恋
- 第十二章 羞惭
- 第十三章 男人的世界
- 第十四章 日益扩大的生活圈子
- 第十五章 狂欢的痛苦
- 第十六章 虹
FAQ
Why was The Rainbow banned at the time?
What does the 'rainbow' in the novel symbolize?
How is Lawrence's 'blood consciousness' embodied in this work?
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About the author
David Herbert Lawrence (1885–1930), known as D. H. Lawrence, was a British novelist, poet and essayist, and one of the most influential and controversial writers in twentieth-century English literature. Born into a miner's family, he is best known for Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love and Lady Chatterley's Lover. His works are noted for their intense emotion and psychological depth, often exploring the inner lives of characters and relations between the sexes; several were banned as obscene, giving rise to lasting controversy. He died in Vence, France, in 1930. Three of his works are included in the collection, under World Classics and Foreign Literature.
Huang Yushi is an author engaged in translating and introducing foreign literary works, though public information about him is limited: his dates of birth and death, nationality, and educational background are not clearly recorded. Judging from the five works held in the collection, his translation work centers on English literary classics, including Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and D. H. Lawrence's The Rainbow, with the latter two also reissued in the Dook Classic Library edition. These translations mostly fall under foreign literature and world classics, covering major works of modernist fiction with themes ranging from colonial voyages and youthful growth to emotional and moral questions. Huang Yushi's translations offer Chinese readers a way into these works, though a fuller account of his translation style and specific contribution still awaits more complete documentation.
