D. M. Thomas Criticism
The literary contributions of D. M. Thomas, a multifaceted British poet, novelist, translator, and critic, have sparked broad scholarly interest and debate, particularly for his innovative narrative techniques and thematic explorations. Born in Cornwall in 1935, Thomas initially gained acclaim through his science fiction poetry and later through his translations of Russian literature, notably the work of Anna Akhmatova. His early engagement with Russian themes influenced his "Russian Nights" series and was widely recognized, as discussed in Hystery, Herstory, History.
Thomas's third novel, The White Hotel, stands as his most renowned work, celebrated for its daring narrative structure and the integration of Freudian psychoanalysis within a historical fiction framework. Critics such as John H. Barnsley and Thomas Flanagan have praised its exploration of sexuality and death set against the backdrop of the Holocaust. The novel’s audacity and beauty, despite some perceived structural criticisms, are examined by Michele Slung.
Thomas’s novels often blur the lines between historical and fictional narratives, a technique evident in works such as Ararat and Swallow. These narratives weave themes of eroticism and mortality alongside stories of Russian artists, as explored by critics including Anthony Burgess and Diane Johnson. Though ambitious, some works have been critiqued for their complexity, which can detract from emotional impact, as noted by Anne Tyler.
In addition to his novels, Thomas’s poetry collections, such as Dreaming in Bronze and Selected Poems, delve into Freudian themes and the darker aspects of human experience, with critics like Dick Davis and Alasdair D. F. Macrae recognizing their vivid, provocative imagery. Thomas's ability to convey deep psychological states is also evident in works like Love and Other Deaths, which explore familial loss and personal narratives, analyzed by John Matthias.
While his works have sometimes faced mixed reviews, such as the experimental pieces in Love and Other Deaths critiqued by Alasdair Maclean, Thomas remains a significant literary figure. He continues to balance experimental themes with deeply personal narratives, as noted by various critics highlighted throughout his career. His exploration of intimate human experiences through a blend of historical context and psychological depth keeps his work at the forefront of literary discourse.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Thomas, D. M.
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A Freudian Journey
(summary)
In the following review, Slung offers favorable evaluation of The White Hotel.
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To Babi Yar and Beyond
(summary)
In the following review, Flanagan offers positive evaluation of The White Hotel. This novel by the English poet D. M. Thomas is a book of extraordinary beauty, power and audacity—powerful and beautiful in its conception, audacious in its manner of execution. It is as stunning a work of fiction as has appeared in a long while. If it falls short of its ambitions, as I believe it does, this is because those ambitions are so large.
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The White Hotel
(summary)
In the following essay, Barnsley comments on the popularity of The White Hotel and provides a summary of the novel's plot, characters, and central themes.
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Elaborate and Perverse
(summary)
In the following review, Dickstein offers unfavorable evaluation of Ararat. The reader opens Ararat with a mixture of expectations. D. M. Thomas's third novel in four years, it comes in the wake of the literary and commercial success of The White Hotel, and the more equivocal reception accorded his translations of Pushkin's poems, The Bronze Horseman, which Simon Karlinsky and others have called a plagiarism of other translators. While Ararat will do little to dispel the doubts that hang over Thomas's literary reputation, it may help clarify what he considers to be authorship.
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Hystery, Herstory, History: ‘Imagining the Real’ in Thomas's The White Hotel
(summary)
In the following essay, Robertson examines Thomas's effort to reconcile postmodern literary aesthetics, myth, and psychoanalysis with the horrific realities of twentieth-century history and female identity in The White Hotel.
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Russian Salad
(summary)
In the following review, Tonkin offers unfavorable assessment of Sphinx.
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Isadora's Scarf and Other Secrets
(summary)
In the following review, Stade offers positive evaluation of Sphinx. American readers know D. M. Thomas best for The White Hotel (1981), a novel remarkable for its tragic sense of recent history, its resolute humanism, its formal virtuosity. As much may be said for Mr. Thomas's new novel, Sphinx, 'the third of four improvisational novels,' as he describes them in a note.
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The Superpower Superjoke
(summary)
In the following review, Eder offers unfavorable assessment of Summit.
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Canonized and Analyzed
(summary)
In the following review, Dudar offers unfavorable assessment of Memories and Hallucinations.
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Freud, Jung, and the ‘Myth’ of Psychoanalysis in The White Hotel
(summary)
In the following essay, Wymer examines Thomas's incorporation of classical Freudian theory, particularly themes surrounding the concept of the death instinct, in The White Hotel, and mythic aspects of psychoanalysis and opposing elements of Freudian and Jungian psychology in the novel.
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D. M. Thomas' The White Hotel: Mirrors, Triangles, and Sublime Repression
(summary)
In the following essay, Newman provides analysis of recurring symbols, metaphors, and narrative techniques in The White Hotel that underscore the paradoxical dualities of truth, history, and psychic experience. According to Newman, “Through repetition of images we experience no erasure; instead we have memory and revision of memory.”
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When the Soul Takes Wing: D. M. Thomas's The White Hotel
(summary)
In the following essay, Sauerberg examines Thomas's problematic incorporation of imaginative lyricism, psychological fantasy, and historical reality in The White Hotel. Sauerberg notes that, where concerning the Holocaust, the intermingling of fictive reality and historical reality raises serious moral questions.
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The Characters Are in Charge
(summary)
In the following review, Goreau offers unfavorable evaluation of Lying Together and Thomas's “Russian Nights” series. Goreau finds fault in Thomas's preoccupation with theory and ideas over plot and characters in these novels.
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Dreams of Death
(summary)
In the following review, Binyon offers unfavorable assessment of Flying to Love.
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Death in Dreamtime
(summary)
In the following review Houston offers positive assessment of Flying to Love.
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A Pornographic Universe
(summary)
In the following review, Cheyette offers negative assessment of Pictures at an Exhibition. The key to Pictures at an Exhibition, D. M. Thomas's tenth novel, can be found in the themes and content of his best-selling third novel, The White Hotel (1981). The earlier book generated a great deal of controversy, largely because of Thomas's shameless plundering of Anatoli Kuznetsov's account of the massacre of over 70,000 Jews in Babi Yar, on the outskirts of Kiev, in September 1941. Thomas's reworking of Kuznetsov's Babi Yar so as to include the sadistic rape of his fictional heroine, Lisa Erdman, caused an outcry. It was not just that Thomas rewrote an essential memoir in lurid terms, but, more worrying, that he was prepared to sacrifice the historical victims of genocide on the altar of his prevailing metaphors. In The White Hotel, these metaphors were part of a superficial Freudianism which united Eros and Thanatos, the life and death-instincts, eroticism and annihilation. Thomas is especially keen in his fiction to unify different realms of experience, whether they be Holocaust testimony, sexual fantasy, individual psychosis or artistic creation. Pictures at an Exhibition is a radical extension of this method and begins with Auschwitz death-camp, which is remade, in an act of supreme arrogance, in Thomas's own image.
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Gift with a Will
(summary)
In the following review, O'Brien offers tempered assessment of The Puberty Tree, noting the duality in D. M. Thomases' work, contrasting his memorable lyrics and dramatic pieces with the flaws of a writer struggling to impose significance on his material.
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Living with Evil
(summary)
In the following review, Fleming offers favorable assessment of Pictures at an Exhibition, describing it as a fiercely intelligent book and a shattering experience to read, which opens with a brilliantly bizarre therapeutic relationship.
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The Man From Auschwitz
(summary)
In the following review, Busch offers tempered evaluation of Pictures at an Exhibition, which he describes as 'alternately horrifying and annoying.'
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Sigmund's Our Guy
(summary)
In the following review, Dinnage offers favorable assessment of Eating Pavlova.
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Freud Terminable
(summary)
In the following review, Kincaid offers positive evaluation of Eating Pavlova.
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So You Want to Be a Shaman
(summary)
In the following review, Slavitt offers positive assessment of Lady With a Laptop.
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Homo Sovieticus
(summary)
In the following review, Chamberlain offers positive assessment of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, highlighting him as an outstanding figure of the century and a real, extraordinary man whose fate reveals complex truths about his country.
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Russia's Stern Conscience
(summary)
In the following review, Woll offers negative evaluation of Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
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A Freudian Journey
(summary)
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Love of Flying
(summary)
In the following essay, Nicholas Shrimpton examines D.M. Thomas's The Flute Player, highlighting its imaginative reflection on Russian art and culture through a dream-like narrative of endurance that, while at times derivative, is effectively constructed as a collage celebrating the resilience of Soviet artists.
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Thomas, D(onald) M(ichael) (Vol. 31)
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Missed Worlds
(summary)
In the following essay, Dick Davis critiques D. M. Thomas's Dreaming in Bronze, noting its focus on intense monologues by neurotics and obsessives, and suggesting that its appeal may be limited to readers who appreciate artistic expressions of extreme mental states.
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Alasdair D. F. Macrae
(summary)
In the following essay, Alasdair D. F. Macrae examines D. M. Thomas's Dreaming in Bronze, noting the collection's blend of fantasy, personal reflection, and Freudian influence, and highlights Thomas's exploration of violence, repression, and familial connections through vivid, sometimes unsettling, poetic techniques.
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Booklist
(summary)
The critic examines D. M. Thomas's Selected Poems, emphasizing his focus on sex and death, noting that while his poetry contains vivid sexual imagery, it lacks sensuality and is marred by dense language and a lack of musicality.
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Selected Poems
(summary)
The critic highlights D. M. Thomas's Selected Poems as an extension of his poetic and narrative craft, praising his unique blend of morbid eroticism, mythic themes, and distinctive stylistic courage, while acknowledging their significant shock value and personal vision.
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Let's Parler Yidglish!
(summary)
In the following essay, Anthony Burgess argues that D. M. Thomas's novel Ararat employs poetic techniques and a deceptive structure similar to The White Hotel, challenging traditional notions of novelistic form by prioritizing symbolic elements and Russian literary influences over coherent narrative and character development.
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Story within Story within Story
(summary)
In the following essay, Diane Johnson argues that D. M. Thomas's novel "Ararat," like "The White Hotel," explores complex themes of artifice, sexuality, and death through an intricate narrative structure, demonstrating Thomas's literary prowess despite criticism that his fiction's formal virtuosity contrasts with its grave subjects.
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Stories within Stories
(summary)
In the following essay, Anne Tyler critiques D. M. Thomas's Ararat for its obscure and indistinct plot, indistinguishable characters, and lack of narrative cohesion, arguing that the novel's intention to disturb lacks purpose and ultimately fails to engage the reader through its fragmented storytelling and disconnected scenes.
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Pushkin's Pupil
(summary)
In the following essay, Christopher Driver contends that D. M. Thomas's novel Ararat uses Pushkin's influence to traverse between fact and fiction, drawing parallels with his earlier work The White Hotel, and explores themes of historical massacres and personal identities within a poetic narrative structure.
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D. M. Thomas: 'Selected Poems'
(summary)
In the following essay, Jascha Kessler examines D. M. Thomas's work in both poetry and prose, highlighting the interplay between his imaginative storytelling in the novel "The White Hotel" and his diverse, intellectually stimulating poetry collection, "Selected Poems," which reveals his range, wit, and exploration of themes from love to historical and psychological complexity.
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World Well Lost
(summary)
In the following essay, George Kearns critiques D. M. Thomas's Ararat for its juxtaposition of intellectual puzzles and profound themes, arguing that the novel's clever narrative structure often undermines its exploration of serious historical atrocities and personal disillusionment, leading to a work that is more intellectually intriguing than emotionally resonant.
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Tales of Brilliant Wit
(summary)
In the following essay, John Bemrose examines D. M. Thomas's novel Swallow, highlighting its intricate narrative structure and themes of literary creation, as well as discussing Thomas's provocative use of other authors' work to explore issues of plagiarism and artistic freedom.
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Echo Chamber
(summary)
In the following essay, Harriett Gilbert critiques D. M. Thomas for his provocative narrative choices and perceived insensitivity towards female characters and historical events, while acknowledging his originality and questioning the boundaries and value of literary originality through his novel Swallow.
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Missed Worlds
(summary)
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July SF
(summary)
In the following essay, Alex de Jonge praises D. M. Thomas's novel The Flute Player as a moving tribute to Russian poets, highlighting its imaginative retelling of historical events in a mythical Leningrad and celebrating its themes of the survival of poetry, love, and humanity.
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Thomas, D(onald) M(ichael) (Vol. 13)
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Michael Mott
(summary)
In the following essay, Michael Mott critiques D. M. Thomas's Two Voices as a mixed collection, highlighting the memorable quality of the poem Requiem for Aberfan for its vivid depiction of disaster and its ability to provoke introspection through its detailed narrative.
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Alan Brownjohn
(summary)
In the following essay, Alan Brownjohn argues that although D. M. Thomas's poetry collection is diverse, his most compelling works are the compassionate and well-crafted poems focusing on personal themes of death and loss, exemplified by 'Dream' and 'Reticent,' which effectively convey emotion without resorting to gimmickry.
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Alasdair Maclean
(summary)
In the following essay, Alasdair Maclean critiques D. M. Thomas's Love and Other Deaths, arguing that while some of the traditional poems effectively address themes of family death, the collection ultimately suffers from clichéd experimentalism lacking in creativity, skill, and emotional resonance.
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John Matthias
(summary)
In the following essay, John Matthias critiques D. M. Thomas's Love and Other Deaths, highlighting the author's experimental and erotic themes but expressing a preference for the more personal poems that explore family experience and Cornish roots over the erotic sequences.
- Peter Scupham
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Michael Mott
(summary)
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Older Wife's Tale: 'The Flute Player'
(summary)
In the following essay, Peter Kemp critiques D. M. Thomas's novel "The Flute Player" for its allegorical exploration of art and totalitarianism, highlighting the work's reliance on clichéd characters and narrative inconsistencies while suggesting its underlying simplistic perspectives on creativity and authority.
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Pipe Dreams
(summary)
In the following essay, Ron Kirke examines D. M. Thomas's novel The Flute Player, highlighting its portrayal of oppressive, politically tumultuous settings and its unique use of Soviet and Western poetic voices to challenge ideological constraints.
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Cornish Pastiche
(summary)
In the following essay, Andrew Motion analyzes D. M. Thomas's Birthstone, arguing that while the novel struggles with balancing its influences from doppelgänger fiction, its true strength lies in the protagonist Jo's fragmented identity, which reflects her internal confusion and adds complexity to the narrative.
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Warring Fictions
(summary)
In the following essay, Seán Wyse Jackson critiques D. M. Thomas's Birthstone as a tale interwoven with symbolic and lyrical poetry, yet ultimately finds it disappointing compared to the author's earlier work, Flute-Player, despite its clear depiction of Cornwall and incorporation of wit and humanity.
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People from the Provinces
(summary)
In the following essay, Brian Martin critiques D. M. Thomas's The White Hotel as a failed attempt to blend Freudian themes with historical tragedy, arguing that the novel's portrayal of sexual and violent pornography undermines its exploration of psychoanalysis and the Holocaust.
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Feeding the Heart on Freud
(summary)
In the following essay, Anne Duchêne explores the complex narrative structure and ambitious themes of D. M. Thomas's novel "The White Hotel," highlighting its homage to Freud and critique of psychoanalysis while addressing the novel's stylistic inconsistencies and the tension between its psychological and historical elements.
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Major Talent
(summary)
In the following essay, Paul Ableman argues that D. M. Thomas's The White Hotel is a significant and ambitious novel that transcends typical contemporary English literature by blending a gripping human story with a comprehensive exploration of the forces of life and death.
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Casualty Reports
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Taubman analyzes D. M. Thomas's novel "The White Hotel," highlighting the ingenious narrative connections between psychoanalytical, historical, and moral levels, while questioning the depth of its portrayal of happiness against the vivid depiction of evil, particularly in the context of historical events such as Babi Yar.
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A Novel of Neurosis and History
(summary)
In the following essay, Epstein evaluates D. M. Thomas's "The White Hotel," praising its initial imaginative exploration of individual psychology against the backdrop of epochal themes, but criticizes its later attempt to universalize personal neurosis through Freud's shaky death instinct theory, which he feels weakens the novel's impact.
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Grand Hotel
(summary)
In the following essay, Edith Milton examines D. M. Thomas's novel The White Hotel, highlighting its intricate interplay of psychological symbols and cultural myth, and its depiction of the tension between chaos and survival, as reflected in the apocalyptic vision of the protagonist Lisa Erdman's dreams.
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Beyond Boundaries
(summary)
In the following essay, Beverly Lowry praises The White Hotel by D. M. Thomas for its imaginative and fluid narrative structure, which intertwines elements of reality, dreams, and fantasy to explore themes of innocence, consciousness, and eroticism, highlighting the novel's imaginative risk and literary merit.
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Fiction: 'The White Hotel'
(summary)
The critic argues that in The White Hotel, D. M. Thomas transcends the boundaries of Freudian analysis and historical fiction, exploring profound themes of love, history, and perception against the backdrop of the Holocaust and a visionary Israel, presenting a complex narrative that defies conventional psychological and historical storytelling.
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Self-Seekers
(summary)
In the following essay, Pearl K. Bell critiques D. M. Thomas's novel The White Hotel, suggesting that while it boldly incorporates Freudian psychoanalysis and explores themes of self-discovery and the intertwining of love and death, it ultimately lacks the historical depth and philosophical richness of Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain.
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Books & Writers: 'The White Hotel'
(summary)
In the following essay, Penelope Lively critiques D. M. Thomas's The White Hotel as a complex and symbolically rich work that intertwines themes of sex and death, requiring the reader to embrace its surrealist and psychological elements, while expressing some reservation about the final section's clarity.
- Further Reading
Criticism by D. M. Thomas
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The Agony and the Entropy
Howard Nemerov Criticism
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Way of All the Earth
Anna Akhmatova Criticism
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Honest Constructing
Vladimir Voinovich Criticism
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The Arts of Friendship
Francine du Plessix Gray Criticism
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All That Glitters
Jay Parini Criticism
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A Life between Sleeping and Waking
Eva Figes Criticism
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The Lives of the Poet
Yuri Krotkov Criticism
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D. M. Thomas
Martin Booth Criticism