Constructing characters
Constructing characters

Summary/Abstract: D.H. Lawrence’s particular ways of building up characters is tackled here from a linguistic perspective, the focus being placed on the study of various narrative voices. Their distinctive nature is analysed in terms of the linguistic forms that individual characters currently use in the four novels referred to here. A special interest is centred on the writer’s ‘management’ of multiple specific resources of the English language: formal/informal, standard/ colloquial and conventional/unconventional linguistic forms. Lawrence’s original articulation of character portrayal has been identified here under three types: direct, indirect and mixed manner of characterisation. By ingenious handling of these, the writer opposes common social relationships to the intimate universe of each of his characters. He does this by alternating dialogue (in the former case) and narrative descriptions of their thoughts (in the latter). The analysis of the contrasts between the original ‘voices’ of some of his characters and the conventional English language used by other characters brings out not only Lawrence’s brilliant character portrayal techniques, but also his huge potential as a creative artist.

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