Lawrence's Leadership Politics and the Turn Against Women

Lawrence's Leadership: Politics and the Turn Against Women delves into the dramatic ideological shift of D. H. Lawrence during the early 20th century, particularly his move toward authoritarian politics and his critical stance on women. The book explores how personal crises, including Lawrence’s internal struggles with sexuality, his disillusionment with the war, and societal upheavals, shaped his evolving views. Through detailed analyses of his letters, essays, and novels, including The Rainbow and Women in Love, the study reveals Lawrence’s turn from advocating creative freedom and sensuality to promoting hierarchical leadership and male dominance. It examines how these changes were influenced by broader cultural trends, such as the rise of authoritarian thought in Europe, and Lawrence's alignment with certain reactionary ideas about gender and society.

This volume situates Lawrence’s shifting beliefs within the broader historical and cultural contexts of World War I and its aftermath, offering insight into how personal despair and social anxieties fueled his ideological transformation. By tracing these changes in his works and writings, Lawrence's Leadership provides a nuanced understanding of Lawrence's complex relationship with modernity, masculinity, and power. The book offers a compelling analysis of how individual struggles intersect with broader political ideologies, highlighting Lawrence’s unique yet troubling role in the cultural and intellectual currents of his time.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1986.