Abstract:David Herbert Lawrence was a very controversial and important English writer in the Victorian England. He was honored to be “one of the greatest writers in the history of English Literature”. The Shadow in the Rose Garden is one of Lawrence’s famous short stories written in 1914. 

The short novel revealed the destruction and distortion of humanity in the capitalist society during the Industrial Revolution as well as the people’s difficulty. The writer depicted three characters’ tragic marriage and fates. The ever sub-lieutenant became deranged and the two person with different values from different classes got married.

This thesis focuses on analyzing the three characters’ tragic fates by analyzing the plots of the novel. Also I will analyze the causes of their tragic fates combining with the historical background. The causes of the tragedy were discussed from three aspects: the destruction of the war, the class nature and the influence of industrial revolution. What’s more, their tragic fates were not chance events; the whole society was full of this kind of tragedy. In this way, I hope the thesis can help readers understand the novel as well as the Victoria Era better.

Keywords: D.H Lawrence  The Shadow in the Rose Garden  tragic fates

Contents

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1-Introduction to David Herbert Lawrence-1

1.2-Introduction to The Shadow in the Rose Garden-1

1.3 Literature Review-2

1.4 The Composition of the Thesis-2

Chapter Two Theories and Principles of Tragedy-4

Chapter Three Analysis of Tragic Fates of the Characters-6

3.1 The Army Man, Victim of War-6

3.2 The Husband, Victim of Social Hierarchy-7

3.3 The Heroine, Victim of Tragic Marriage-7

Chapter Four Main Causes of the Tragedy-9

4.1 Shadow of the War-9

4.2 Shadow of the Social Hierarchy in the Society-9

4.3 Shadow of the Industrial Revolution-10

Chapter Five Conclusion-12

Reference-13