Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi (Jan 2017)
A Cosmic Duality: Androgyny in D. H. Lawrence’s Women in Love
Abstract
Androgyny is a phenomenon that goes back to ancient times found in the fields of art and literature. An examination of the history of androgyny reveals that it has been an inspiration for many artists, writers and thinkers from various fields and in different ages. First appearing in written form in Plato’s Symposium, androgyny presents a model that achieves a true sense of wholeness which points to an ideal formation of the human mind set free from restrictive boundaries as exemplified in D.H. Lawrence’s Women in Love, a literary representation of the concept. In Women in Love the concept of androgyny tends to represent an idea in progress as the protagonist Birkin is portrayed in such a manner that through his original and radically subversive viewpoints, the author attempts to draw an ideal, creative, whole human model. Birkin, a character considered to be based on Lawrence himself, and his homosexual tendencies are presented in accordance with androgyny, referencing the concept of the Uranian and their love of fine art. Birkin’s quest for an alternative in a man’s love and companionship in addition to his relationship with Ursula, and his proposal of Blutbrüderschaft, a symbolic pact, which implies a divine friendship, draws an analogy with androgyny’s strong emphasis on spirituality rather than a physical bond. Lawrence’s notion of starequilibrium which signifies the balance that stars constitute despite their polarized ends can be interpreted as individuals representing androgynous homogeneity as separate, free beings. Therefore, this study aims to discuss that Birkin’s outspoken views which are particularly associated with bisexuality are actually connected with androgyny and by revealing those connections, it is possible to say that Birkin’s strives to draw a free, whole, ideal human model which is in accordance with the real spirit of androgyny, puts sexual interpretations aside and focuses on the idea that it sheds light on life as a guide.
