Tracing the Influences on the Artistic Growth of D.H. Lawrence

In trying to understand the artistic growth of D.H. Lawrence, we have to take into consideration the influences that shaped his writing. First and foremost there is the influence of his parents- the „collier‟ father and the „superior‟ mother completely in contrast to each other. The father-mother conflict is at the root of Lawrence‟s entire vision. At the time of his adolescence there is the influence of Jessie Chambers, or E.T. as he calls her, who launched him on his literary career. After that we have the influence of Ford MadoxHeuffer. His importance lies in introducing Lawrence to the prevalent literary scene. Then there is the influence of Flaubert, Nietzche, Baudelaire and Schopenhauer. Also of Henry James, Whitman and Shelley. There are writers similar to him, with whom he can identify and there are writers who are absolutely dissimilar and constitute a proto-type. But all the time Lawrence learns and assimilates or rejects and forms his own aesthetic. This paper tries to trace his artistic growth amidst all these influences.