The Rainbow | Literary Precedents
While Lawrence owes an undeniable debt to the great English novelists of the nineteenth century, his best work, this novel especially, stands out for his refinements upon, and notable departures from their work. His immediate predecessor, Thomas Hardy, is often cited by critics as a dominant influence; he is the one English writer on whom Lawrence wrote a full-length study. Hardy shared with Lawrence an intense interest in male/female relationships, and it is easy to see some similarity between Ursula's struggles with the inadequate Skrebensky and Tess's with the sanctimonious Clare and...
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