Naked Liberty and the World of Desire: Elements of Anarchism in the Work of D.H. Lawrence

In this new and original study, Simon Casey explores the long-neglected link between D. H. Lawrence and philosophical anarchism. Focusing on the writings of some of the major anarchists-with particular emphasis on Stirner, Godwin, Bakunin and Thoreau-this book argues that the conceptual parallels between Lawrence and anarchism are strong and extensive and that reading Lawrence within the context of this tradition significantly enhances any understanding of his work. Lawrence’s faith in the essential decency of human nature, his forceful defense of individual liberty, and his intolerance of all forms of domination and control all reflect the essential features of anarchism. NakedLiberty and the World of Desire looks at where these attitudes find explicit articulation in Lawrence’s essays, poems, and letters, and shows how they are illustrated in his major works of fiction.