D. H. Lawrence's 'Study of Thomas Hardy', written in the early months of
World War I, was originally intended to be a short critical work on
Hardy's characters, but developed into a major statement of Lawrence's
philosophy of art. The introduction to this work shows its relation to
Lawrence's final rewriting of The Rainbow and its place among his
continual attempts to express his philosophy in a definitive form.
Previously published posthumously from a corrupt typescript, the 'Study'
is now more firmly based on Koteliansky's typescript - Lawrence having
destroyed the manuscript. The other essays in this volume span virtually
the whole of Lawrence's writing career, from 'Art and the Individual'
(1908) to his last essay 'John Galsworthy', written in 1927. The
introduction sets these essays in the context of Lawrence's life and
work. The textual apparatus gives variant readings, and explanatory
notes identify references and quotations, and offer background
information.