Why the Novel Matters Summary and Line by Line Explanation
CBSE Class 12 English (Elective) Non Fiction Chapter 4 – Why the Novel Matters Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from Kaleidoscope Book
Why the Novel Matters Summary – Are you looking for the summary, theme and lesson explanation for CBSE Class 12 English (Elective) Non Fiction Chapter 4 – Why the Novel Matters from English Kaleidoscope Book. Get Lesson summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings
CBSE Class 12 English (Elective) Non Fiction Chapter 4 – Why the Novel Matters
D.H. Lawrence
In ‘Why the Novel Matters’, D.H. Lawrence argues that the novel is a better literary form. It can capture the full, complex, and living reality of human experience. Other forms, like philosophy or poetry, only focus on parts of life.
- Why the Novel Matters Summary
- Why the Novel Matters Summary in Hindi
- Why the Novel Matters Theme
- Why the Novel Matters Explanation
Related:
Why the Novel Matters Summary
D.H. Lawrence’s essay “Why the Novel Matters” passionately defends the novel as an essential literary form. He argues that the novel is uniquely capable of capturing the full complexity of human life and experience, surpassing the limitations of other artistic and intellectual forms. According to Lawrence, the novel is superior to philosophy and poetry because it can portray the “whole man” which means the entirety of human existence, encompassing both the physical and the spiritual, as well as the conscious and the unconscious. He believes that the novel is the most flexible and comprehensive form of literature, able to represent all aspects of life in their interconnectedness.
Lawrence criticizes philosophy for focusing exclusively on the mind or soul, neglecting the importance of the physical body and the instinctive, emotional facets of human nature. He sees philosophy as being abstract and detached from lived experience.
While he acknowledges the power of poetry, Lawrence argues that it tends to capture only a single theme or a specific emotional state. He views poetry as being too focused on isolated moments or ideas, lacking the scope to portray the ongoing flow of life.
He dismisses science for its mechanistic focus on the physical body, which reduces humans to biological functions while ignoring the subjective, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of life.
In contrast, Lawrence champions the novel for its ability to represent the “whole man” in his living reality. He argues that the novel captures the flow of life; unlike other forms that focus on isolated aspects, the novel can depict the dynamic and ever-changing nature of human existence. It captures the interplay of thoughts, feelings, sensations, and actions as they unfold over time.
The novel can also accommodate the contradictions and inconsistencies inherent in human nature. It can portray characters who are both good and bad, rational and irrational, reflecting the complexities of real life.
Lawrence emphasizes the unity of the mind and body, arguing that they are not separate entities but rather two aspects of the same living being. He believes the novel is uniquely suited to explore this interconnectedness, showing how thoughts and feelings are rooted in physical sensations and how the body influences the mind.
By immersing readers in the lives of characters, the novel fosters empathy and understanding. It allows us to experience different perspectives and see the world through the eyes of others, helping us develop a deeper appreciation for the diversity of human experiences.
Lawrence believes the novel can provide moral guidance—not through explicit teaching but by portraying the consequences of actions and the complexities of ethical choices. He suggests that novels can help readers develop their moral compass and live more authentically.
Throughout the essay, Lawrence stresses the importance of the “living” man, the individual in their full, embodied existence. He is interested in the here and now, focusing on the reality of human experience in the physical world rather than abstract ideas about the afterlife or spiritual perfection. He sees the novel as the primary means of accessing this living reality.
Lawrence portrays the novelist as a kind of explorer, venturing into the depths of human experience and bringing back insights to the reader. The novelist’s task is to capture the nuances of life, portraying the whole man in his vibrant and messy reality while offering valuable insights into the human condition.
Summary of the Lesson Why the Novel Matters in Hindi
D.H. लॉरेंस का निबंध “Why the Novel Matters” एक आवश्यक साहित्यिक रूप के रूप में उपन्यास का बचाव करता है। उनका तर्क है कि उपन्यास अन्य कलात्मक और बौद्धिक रूपों की सीमाओं को पार करते हुए मानव जीवन और अनुभव की पूरी जटिलता को पकड़ने में विशिष्ट रूप से सक्षम है। लॉरेंस के अनुसार, उपन्यास दर्शन और कविता से बेहतर है क्योंकि यह “पूरे आदमी” को चित्रित कर सकता है जिसका अर्थ है मानव अस्तित्व की संपूर्णता, जिसमें शारीरिक और आध्यात्मिक दोनों के साथ-साथ सचेत और अचेतन दोनों शामिल हैं। उनका मानना है कि उपन्यास साहित्य का सबसे लचीला और व्यापक रूप है, जो जीवन के सभी पहलुओं को उनके परस्पर जुड़ाव में प्रस्तुत करने में सक्षम है।
लॉरेंस ने भौतिक शरीर के महत्व और मानव स्वभाव के सहज, भावनात्मक पहलुओं की उपेक्षा करते हुए विशेष रूप से मन या आत्मा पर ध्यान केंद्रित करने के लिए दर्शन की आलोचना की। वह दर्शन को अमूर्त और जीवित अनुभव से अलग के रूप में देखते हैं।
जबकि वह कविता की शक्ति को स्वीकार करते हैं, लॉरेंस का तर्क है कि यह केवल एक ही विषय या एक विशिष्ट भावनात्मक स्थिति को पकड़ता है। वह कविता को अलग-अलग क्षणों या विचारों पर बहुत अधिक केंद्रित होने के रूप में देखते हैं, जिसमें जीवन के चल रहे प्रवाह को चित्रित करने की गुंजाइश का अभाव है।
वह भौतिक शरीर पर इसके यांत्रिक ध्यान के लिए विज्ञान को खारिज करते हैं, जो जीवन के व्यक्तिपरक, भावनात्मक और आध्यात्मिक आयामों की अनदेखी करते हुए मनुष्यों को जैविक कार्यों में कम कर देता है।
इसके विपरीत, लॉरेंस अपनी जीवित वास्तविकता में “पूरे आदमी” का प्रतिनिधित्व करने की क्षमता के लिए उपन्यास का समर्थन करते हैं। उनका तर्क है कि उपन्यास जीवन के प्रवाह को दर्शाता है; अन्य रूपों के विपरीत जो अलग-अलग पहलुओं पर ध्यान केंद्रित करते हैं, उपन्यास मानव अस्तित्व की गतिशील और हमेशा बदलती प्रकृति को चित्रित कर सकता है। यह विचारों, भावनाओं, संवेदनाओं और कार्यों की परस्पर क्रिया को दर्शाता है क्योंकि वे समय के साथ सामने आते हैं।
उपन्यास मानव स्वभाव में निहित विरोधाभासों और विसंगतियों को भी समायोजित कर सकता है। यह ऐसे पात्रों को चित्रित कर सकता है जो अच्छे और बुरे दोनों हैं, तर्कसंगत और तर्कहीन हैं, जो वास्तविक जीवन की जटिलताओं को दर्शाते हैं।
लॉरेंस मन और शरीर की एकता पर जोर देते हुए तर्क देते हैं कि वे अलग-अलग अस्तित्व नहीं हैं, बल्कि एक ही जीवित प्राणी के दो पहलू हैं। उनका मानना है कि यह उपन्यास इस परस्पर जुड़ाव का पता लगाने के लिए विशिष्ट रूप से उपयुक्त है, जिसमें दिखाया गया है कि कैसे विचार और भावनाएं शारीरिक संवेदनाओं में निहित हैं और शरीर मन को कैसे प्रभावित करता है।
पात्रों के जीवन में पाठकों को विसर्जित करके, उपन्यास सहानुभूति और समझ को बढ़ावा देता है। यह हमें विभिन्न दृष्टिकोण का अनुभव करने और दूसरों की आंखों के माध्यम से दुनिया को देखने की अनुमति देता है, जिससे हमें मानव अनुभवों की विविधता के लिए गहरी प्रशंसा विकसित करने में मदद मिलती है।
लॉरेंस का मानना है कि उपन्यास नैतिक मार्गदर्शन प्रदान कर सकता है-स्पष्ट शिक्षण के माध्यम से नहीं बल्कि कार्यों के परिणामों और नैतिक विकल्पों की जटिलताओं को चित्रित करके। उनका सुझाव है कि उपन्यास पाठकों को अपनी नैतिक दिशा विकसित करने और अधिक प्रामाणिक रूप से जीने में मदद कर सकते हैं।
पूरे निबंध के दौरान, लॉरेंस “जीवित” व्यक्ति के महत्व पर जोर देते हैं, जो अपने पूर्ण, मूर्त अस्तित्व में व्यक्ति है। वह यहाँ और अब में रुचि रखते हैं, भौतिक दुनिया में मानव अनुभव की वास्तविकता पर ध्यान केंद्रित करते हैं, न कि मरणोपरांत जीवन या आध्यात्मिक पूर्णता के बारे में अमूर्त विचारों पर। वह उपन्यास को इस जीवित वास्तविकता तक पहुँचने के प्राथमिक साधन के रूप में देखते हैं।
लॉरेंस ने उपन्यासकार को एक प्रकार के खोजकर्ता के रूप में चित्रित किया है, जो मानव अनुभव की गहराई में प्रवेश करता है और पाठक के लिए अंतर्दृष्टि वापस लाता है। उपन्यासकार का कार्य जीवन की बारीकियों को पकड़ना है, मानव स्थिति में मूल्यवान अंतर्दृष्टि प्रदान करते हुए पूरे व्यक्ति को उसकी जीवंत और गंदी वास्तविकता में चित्रित करना है।
Theme of the Lesson Why the Novel Matters
Novel as a reflection of life
Lawrence argues that novels serve as a mirror to society, reflecting its values, conflicts, and transformations. He emphasizes the importance of being “alive” in every part of the human body, not just in the mind. According to Lawrence, novels help people understand the full scope of life, including its complexities and contradictions. He believes that to truly be alive, a person must have both desire and purpose and that novels often explore these desires and the challenges individuals face in trying to fulfil them.
Novel, a Source of Knowledge
Lawrence posits that novels play a crucial role in developing critical thinking and self-awareness in readers. They offer insights into both personal and societal challenges, enabling readers to empathize with diverse perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of their own lives. Ultimately, Lawrence emphasizes that novels serve as a mirror for individuals, helping them reflect on their unpredictable experiences and guiding their personal growth.
Why the Novel Matters Lesson Explanation
Passage – We have curious ideas of ourselves. We think of ourselves as a body with a spirit in it, or a body with a soul in it, or a body with a mind in it. Mens sana in corpore sano. The years drink up the wine, and at last throw the bottle away, the body, of course, being the bottle.
It is a funny sort of superstition. Why should I look at my hand, as it so cleverly writes these words, and decide that it is a mere nothing compared to the mind that directs it? Is there really any huge difference between my hand and my brain? Or my mind? My hand is alive, it flickers with a life of its own. It meets all the strange universe in touch, and learns a vast number of things, and knows a vast number of things. My hand, as it writes these words, slips gaily along, jumps like a grasshopper to dot an i, feels the table rather cold, gets a little bored if I write too long, has its own rudiments of thought, and is just as much me as is my brain, my mind, or my soul. Why should I imagine that there is a me which is more me than my hand is? Since my hand is absolutely alive, me alive.
Word meanings
Mens sana in corpore sano: a Latin phrase meaning “a healthy mind in a healthy body”
flickers: shine unsteadily; vary rapidly in brightness.
gaily: in a cheerful or light-hearted way.
rudiments: fundamentals
Explanation of the above passage—Humans often have strange ideas about themselves. They see themselves as a body that has a spirit, soul, or mind. “A sound mind in a sound body”. Over time, their bodies age and eventually break down, much like an empty bottle after the wine is gone.
That way of thinking is odd. The narrator questions why he would look at his hand, which writes these words, and thinks it is less important than the mind controlling the hand. He further questions if there really is a big difference between his hand and brain or mind. His hand is alive; it experiences the world through touch. It learns and knows many things. As he writes, his hand moves freely, feels the cool table, and sometimes gets bored if he writes too long. It has its own simple thoughts and is just as much a part of him as his brain, mind, or soul. So, he further questions why he should believe that there is a part of him that is more of him than his hand. Since his hand is fully alive, it is him, alive.
Passage – Whereas, of course, as far as I am concerned, my pen isn’t alive at all. My pen isn’t me alive. Me alive ends at my fingertips.
Whatever is me alive is me. Every tiny bit of my hands is alive, every little freckle and hair and fold of skin. And whatever is me alive is me. Only my finger-nails, those ten little weapons between me and an inanimate universe, they cross the mysterious Rubicon between me alive and things like my pen, which are not alive, in my own sense.
So, seeing my hand is all alive and me alive, wherein is it just a bottle, or a jug, or a tin can, or a vessel of clay, or any of the rest of that nonsense? True, if I cut it will bleed, like a can of cherries. But then the skin that is cut, and the veins that bleed, and the bones that should never be seen, they are all just as alive as the blood that flows. So the tin can business, or vessel of clay, is just bunk.
Word meanings
freckles: a small patch of light brown colour on the skin, often becoming more pronounced through exposure to the sun.
Rubicon: a bounding or limiting line
bunk: complete nonsense
Explanation of the above passage—However, the narrator does not see his pen as alive, unlike his hands. His pen is not a part of him. He feels alive all the way to his fingertips. What makes him alive is himself. Every part of his hands, every freckle, hair, and wrinkle is alive. Whatever is alive is him. His fingernails are the only part that connects him to objects like his pen, which he does not see as living.
He wonders how his hands can be alive while things like a bottle, jug, clay vessel or a tin cannot. If he cuts himself, he bleeds, just like a can of cherries. However, his skin, veins, and bones are as alive as the blood flowing within him. So, thinking of his body as just a tin can or a clay vessel does not make sense. Lawrence critiques the idea of a “dead” existence, arguing that a truly alive person experiences life fully, he is not just as a vessel or object, but as a whole, vibrant entity.
Passage – And that’s what you learn, when you’re a novelist. And that’s what you are very liable not to know, if you’re a parson, or a philosopher, or a scientist, or a stupid person. If you’re a parson, you talk about souls in heaven. If you’re a novelist, you know that paradise is in the palm of your hand, and on the end of your nose, because both are alive; and alive, and man alive, which is more than you can say, for certain, of paradise. Paradise is after life, and I for one am not keen on anything that is after life. If you are a philosopher, you talk about infinity; and the pure spirit which knows all things. But if you pick up a novel, you realise immediately that infinity is just a handle to this self-same jug of a body of mine; while as for knowing, if I find my finger in the fire, I know that fire burns with a knowledge so emphatic and vital, it leaves Nirvana merely a conjecture. Oh, yes, my body, me alive, knows, and knows intensely. And as for the sum of all knowledge, it can’t be anything more than an accumulation of all the things I know in the body, and you, dear reader, know in the body.
Word meanings
parson: a benefic member of the clergy; a rector or a vicar.
paradise: heaven as the ultimate abode of the just.
infinity: a number greater than any assignable quantity or countable number
emphatic: expressing something forcibly and clearly
Nirvana: a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the final goal of Buddhism.
conjecture: an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
accumulation: the acquisition or gradual gathering of something.
Explanation of the above passage—A novelist learnt a lesson that a truly alive person experiences life fully, not just as a vessel or object, but as a whole, vibrant entity. Other people, like philosophers or scientists, may not see it the same way. While a parson talks about souls in heaven, a novelist knows that paradise is right here, in their hands and experiences, because these are real and alive. Paradise comes after life, but the narrator doesn’t care much about what happens then. Philosophers think about infinity and a pure spirit that knows everything. However, when one reads a novel, they realize that infinity is just a concept connected to their own body. If they touch fire, they learn quickly that it burns. This understanding is strong and real, making ideas like Nirvana feel uncertain. Our living bodies hold deep knowledge. All knowledge comes from what one knows about all things in his body.
Passage – These damned philosophers, they talk as if they suddenly went off in steam, and were then much more important than they are when they’re in their shirts. It is nonsense. Every man, philosopher included, ends in his own finger-tips. That’s the end of his man alive. As for the words and thoughts and sighs and aspirations that fly from him, they are so many tremulations in the ether, and not alive at all. But if the tremulations reach another man alive, he may receive them into his life, and his life may take on a new colour, like a chameleon creeping from a brown rock on to a green leaf. All very well and good. It still doesn’t alter the fact that the so-called spirit, the message or teaching of the philosopher or the saint, isn’t alive at all, but just a tremulation upon the ether, like a radio message. All this spirit stuff is just tremulations upon the ether. If you, as man alive, quiver from the tremulation of the other into new life, that is because you are man alive, and you take sustenance and stimulation into your alive man in a myriad ways. But to say that the message, or the spirit which is communicated to you, is more important than your living body, is nonsense. You might as well say that the potato at dinner was more important.
Word meanings
damned: condemned by God to suffer eternal punishment in hell.
creeping: growing along the ground or other surface by means of extending stems or branches.
tremulations: a slight trembling or vibration, suggesting a subtle, fleeting, or incomplete effect.
ether: the intangible realm of communication or ideas, where things are transmitted or exist in a diffused state.
tremulations on the ether: way other forms of writing, like philosophy or poetry, merely touch the surface of life, like faint echoes
sustenance: the maintenance of someone or something in life or existence.
myriad: countless or extremely great in number.
Explanation of the above passage—These philosophers often act like they suddenly gained great importance. While a philosopher may contemplate abstract ideas, their actual reality and experience are grounded in their physical body and its limitations. That’s the limit of their life. The words and ideas they create are just signals in the air and not alive by themselves. However, if these signals reach another person, that person might take them to heart and add something new to their life, much like a chameleon changing colour.
While that’s fine, it doesn’t mean that the message or spirit of the philosopher or saint is alive. It’s just a signal, like a radio transmission. If one feels inspired by someone else’s message and it changes them, it’s because one is a living person who can take in ideas in many ways. But to claim that the message or spirit is more important than their own body is nonsense. It’s like saying that the potato on their plate is more important than them.
Passage – Nothing is important but life. And for myself, I can absolutely see life nowhere but in the living. Life with a capital L is only man alive. Even a cabbage in the rain is cabbage alive. All things that are alive are amazing. And all things that are dead are subsidiary to the living. Better a live dog than a dead lion. But better a live lion than a live dog. C’est la vie!
It seems impossible to get a saint, or a philosopher, or a scientist, to stick to this simple truth. They are all, in a sense, renegades. The saint wishes to offer himself up as spiritual food for the multitude. Even Frances of Assisi turns himself into a sort of angel-cake, of which anyone may take a slice. But an angel-cake is rather less than man alive. And poor St. Francis might well apologise to his body, when he is dying: ‘Oh, pardon me, my body, the wrong I did you through the years!’ It was no wafer, for others to eat.
Word meanings
subsidiary: less important than but related or supplementary to something.
C’est la vie!: From French, meaning “that’s life
renegades: a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles
multitude: a large number of people or things.
Frances of Assisi: an Italian friar who lived in Italy in the 13th century. He lived a life of ascetic poverty and was dedicated to Christian charity.
angel-cake: a light, airy, and sweet cake, implying something desirable and easily shared.
Explanation of the above passage— Only life matters. For him, he sees life only in the living. Life with a capital L means a person who is alive as the essence of living, being truly alive and fully experiencing the world, as opposed to merely existing. Through the saying, ‘a cabbage in the rain is a living cabbage’ the narrator wants to emphasise that even things that seem insignificant or at the end of their useful life still hold a potential for life and value. Everything alive is wonderful. Everything dead serves the living. A live dog is better than a dead lion, but a live lion is better than a live dog. That’s life!
It seems hard to get a saint, philosopher, or scientist to stick to this simple truth. They often act differently. The saint wants to sacrifice himself as spiritual nourishment for others. Even Francis of Assisi tries to be like an angel cake that anyone can take a piece of. But an angel cake is less than a living person. St. Francis might want to apologize to his body when he dies, that he is sorry for his body, for the wrong he did to it over the years. It was not something for others to consume. The phrase ‘Evan Francis of Assisi turns himself into a sort of angel-cake, of which anyone may take a slice’ is a metaphor, suggesting that Francis, a figure known for his humility and selflessness, makes himself entirely available and accessible to everyone, offering his help and presence freely, like a delicious treat that anyone can partake in.
Passage – The philosopher, on the other hand, because he can think, decides that nothing but thoughts matter. It is as if a rabbit, because he can make little pills, should decide that nothing but little pills matter. As for the scientist, he has absolutely no use for me so long as I am man alive. To the scientist, I am dead. He puts under the microscope a bit of dead me, and calls it me. He takes me to pieces, and says first one piece, and then another piece, is me. My heart, my liver, my stomach have all been scientifically me, according to the scientist; and nowadays I am either a brain, or nerves, or glands, or something more up-to-date in the tissue line.
Now I absolutely flatly deny that I am a soul, or a body, or a mind, or an intelligence, or a brain, or a nervous system, or a bunch of glands, or any of the rest of these bits of me. The whole is greater than the part. And therefore, I, who am man alive, am greater than my soul, or spirit, or body, or mind, or consciousness, or anything else that is merely a part of me. I am a man, and alive. I am man alive, and as long as I can, I intend to go on being man alive.
Word meanings
flatly: in a firm and unequivocal manner; absolutely.
Explanation of the above passage—The philosopher thinks that only thoughts matter. It’s like a rabbit that makes little pills and decides that only those pills are important. The scientist, however, sees no value in the narrator as long as he is alive, as they are only interested in dissecting and naming the parts of dead bodies. To the scientist, the narrator is dead. The scientist examines the narrator’s remains under a microscope and calls it “narrator”. He breaks the narrator down into parts and claims each one like the heart, liver, or brain, which defines who the narrator is.
The narrator firmly disagrees. He does not see himself as just a soul, body, mind, or intelligence. He believes that the whole person is greater than any single part. The narrator, as a living person, is more than just his spirit, body, or mind. He is a man, and he is alive. As long as he can, he intends to keep being a living man.
Passage – For this reason I am a novelist. And being a novelist, I consider myself superior to the saint, the scientist, the philosopher, and the poet, who are all great masters of different bits of man alive, but never get the whole hog.
The novel is the one bright book of life. Books are not life. They are only tremulations on the ether. But the novel as a tremulation can make the whole man alive tremble. Which is more than poetry, philosophy, science, or any other book tremulation can do.
The novel is the book of life. In this sense, the Bible is a great novel. You may say, it is about God. But it is really about man alive.
I do hope you begin to get my idea, why the novel is supremely important, as a tremulation on the ether. Plato makes the perfect ideal being tremble in me. But that’s only a bit of me. Perfection is only a bit, in the strange make-up of man alive. The Sermon on the Mount makes the selfless spirit of me quiver. But that, too, is only a bit of me. The Ten Commandments set the old Adam shivering in me, warning me that I am a thief and a murderer, unless I watch it. But even the old Adam is only a bit of me.
I very much like all these bits of me to be set trembling with life and the wisdom of life. But I do ask that the whole of me shall tremble in its wholeness, some time or other.
And this, of course, must happen in me, living.
Word meanings
hog: to take or use more than necessary of something
The Sermon on the Mount: a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew that emphasizes his moral teachings.
The Ten Commandments: also known as the Decalogue, are a set of religious and ethical directives, believed to be divinely revealed to Moses by God, and are foundational to Judaism and Christianity, outlining basic moral and religious principles.
Explanation of the above passage—The narrator is a novelist and believes he is superior to a saint, scientist, philosopher, or poet. While these figures excel in certain aspects of life, they don’t capture the whole person.
The novel represents the full experience of life. Books themselves are not life; they are just vibrations in the air. However, a novel can make the entire person feel alive, more so than poetry, philosophy, or science can.
In this sense, the Bible is a great novel. It might focus on God, but ultimately, it is about humanity. The narrator wants others to understand why the novel is so important as a reflection of life.
Plato describes the perfect being which resonates within the narrator, but this is only a part of who he is. The Sermon on the Mount evokes feelings of selflessness, but this is also just a part of him. The Ten Commandments make him aware of his flaws, reminding him that he can be a thief or a murderer if he’s not careful. Yet, even this side of him is just part of the whole person.
He feels connected to all these aspects of himself and wants to experience the fullness of life and its wisdom. He hopes to feel the entirety of his being vibrate with life at some point.
Ultimately, this experience must happen within him while he is living.
Passage – But as far as it can happen from a communication, it can only happen when a whole novel communicates itself to me. The Bible—but all the Bible—and Homer, and Shakespeare: these are the supreme old novels. These are all things to all men. Which means that in their wholeness they affect the whole man alive, which is the man himself, beyond any part of him. They set the whole tree trembling with a new access of life, they do not just stimulate growth in one direction.
I don’t want to grow in any one direction any more. And, if I can help it, I don’t want to stimulate anybody else into some particular direction. A particular direction ends in a cul-de-sac. We’re in a cul-de-sac at present.
I don’t believe in any dazzling revelation, or in any supreme Word. ‘The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of the Lord shall stand for ever.’ That’s the kind of stuff we’ve drugged ourselves with. As a matter of fact, the grass withereth, but comes up all the greener for that reason, after the rains. The flower fadeth, and therefore the bud opens. But the Word of the Lord, being man-uttered and a mere vibration on the ether, becomes staler and staler, more and more boring, till at last we turn a deaf ear and it ceases to exist, far more finally than any withered grass. It is grass that renews its youth like the eagle, not any Word.
Word Meanings
trembling: shaking or quivering, typically as a result of anxiety, excitement, or frailty.
stimulate: levels of physiological or nervous activity in (the body or any biological system).
cul-de-sac: a street or passage that is closed at one end.
dazzling: extremely bright, especially so as to blind the eyes temporarily.
fadeth: fade
ceases: stops
withered: dry and shrivelled
Explanation of the above passage—Communication only happens fully when a whole novel speaks to the narrator. The Bible, along with works by Homer and Shakespeare, are the greatest examples of this. They have something to offer to everyone. Their entire messages touch every part of a person, affecting their whole being. They bring new life to all aspects of a person, rather than just encouraging growth in a single direction.
The narrator does not want to grow in just one direction anymore. He also doesn’t want to push anyone else in a specific direction. Focusing on a single path leads to a dead end, and humans are stuck in one now.
The narrator doesn’t believe in any sudden insights or in a perfect truth. People have numbed themselves with ideas like, ‘The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord lasts forever’. In reality, while the grass withers, it grows back even stronger after rain. The flower fades, but that is when new buds come to life. However, man-made words, being just sounds in the air, grow stale and boring over time. Eventually, we stop listening, and those words fade away more completely than any withered grass. It is the grass that renews itself, not mere words.
Passage – We should ask for no absolutes, or absolute. Once and for all and for ever, let us have done with the ugly imperialism of any absolute. There is no absolute good, there is nothing absolutely right. All things flow and change, and even change is not absolute. The whole is a strange assembly of apparently incongruous parts, slipping past one another.
Me, man alive, I am a very curious assembly of incongruous parts. My yea! of today is oddly different from my yea! of yesterday. My tears of tomorrow will have nothing to do with my tears of a year ago. If the one I love remains unchanged and unchanging, I shall cease to love her. It is only because she changes and startles me into change and defies my inertia, and is herself staggered in her inertia by my changing, that I can continue to love her. If she stayed put, I might as well love the pepper-pot.
Word meanings
absolute: a rule or principle that is believed to be true, right, or relevant in all situations.
imperialism: a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means.
apparently: as far as one knows or can see.
incongruous: not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something.
inertia: a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged.
staggered: walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall
pepper-pot: a container with a perforated top for sprinkling pepper.
Explanation of the above passage—Humans should avoid seeking absolutes. Let’s reject the idea of any absolute truth or morality. There is no absolute good, and nothing is completely right. Everything changes, and change itself is not absolute. Life is a mix of different parts that often seem unrelated and are constantly moving past each other.
The narrator, himself, is a curious mix of different parts. His ‘yes’ today is not the same as his ‘yes’ yesterday. The tears he sheds tomorrow will not relate to the tears he shed a year ago. If the person he loves does not change, he will stop loving her. His love continues because she changes, surprising him and pushing him to grow, just as he surprises her and encourages her to change. If she remained the same, he might as well love something as ordinary as a pepper pot.
Passage – In all this change, I maintain a certain integrity. But woe betide me if I try to put my figure on it. If I say of myself, I am this, I am that—then, if I stick to it, I turn into a stupid fixed thing like a lamp-post. I shall never know wherein lies my integrity, my individuality, my me. I can never know it. It is useless to talk about my ego. That only means that I have made up an idea of myself, and that I am trying to cut myself out to pattern. Which is no good. You can cut your cloth to fit your coat, but you can’t clip bits off your living body, to trim it down to your idea. True, you can put yourself into ideal corsets. But even in ideal corsets, fashions change.
Let us learn from the novel. In the novel, the characters can do nothing but live. If they keep on being good, according to pattern, or bad, according to pattern, or even volatile, according to pattern, they cease to live, and the novel falls dead. A character in a novel has got to live, or it is nothing.
We, likewise, in life have got to live, or we are nothing.
What we mean by living is, of course, just as indescribable as what we mean by being. Men get ideas into their heads, of what they mean by Life, and they proceed to cut life out to pattern. Sometimes they go into the desert to seek God, sometimes they go into the desert to seek cash, sometimes it is wine, woman, and song, and again it is water, political reform, and votes. You never know what it will be next: from killing your neighbour with hideous bombs and gas that tears the lungs, to supporting a Foundlings Home and preaching infinite Love, and being co-respondent in a divorce.
Word meanings
integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.
woe betide me: used humorously to warn (someone) that they will be in trouble if they do a specified thing.
put my figure on it: to say exactly how much something is or costs
cut out: remove or make something by separating it from something larger with a sharp implement.
corsets: a woman’s tightly fitting undergarment extending from below the chest to the hips, worn to shape the figure.
volatile: liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse.
political reform: reform consists of changes and improvements to a law, social system, or institution
hideous: extremely ugly
Foundlings Home: orphanage for children
co-respondent: a person cited in a divorce case as having committed adultery with the respondent.
Explanation of the above passage—In all this change, he maintains certain moral principles. But sorrow would happen to him if he tried to tell exactly how much it cost him. If he says of himself, he is this, he is that—then, if he sticks to it, he turns into a stupid fixed thing like a lamp-post. He shall never know wherein lies his integrity, his individuality, the real ‘he’. He can never know it. It is useless to talk about his ego. That only means that he has made up an idea of himself and that he is trying to cut himself out of the pattern. Which is no good. One can cut one’s clothes to fit one’s coat, but one can’t remove small parts from one’s living body to trim it down to one’s idea. True, one can put oneself into ideal corsets. But even in ideal corsets, fashions change.
Let us learn from the novel. In the novel, the characters can do nothing but live. If they keep on being good, bad or volatile according to the pattern, they cease to live, and the novel falls dead. A character in a novel has got to live, or it is nothing.
Humans, likewise, in life have got to live, or they are nothing.
People have different ideas about what it means to live and what it means to be. They form thoughts about Life and then try to shape their lives based on those ideas. Some people go into the desert to find God; others go to seek money. Some look for pleasure in wine, women, and music, while others focus on issues like water, political change, and voting. They never know what will motivate them next. Their actions can range from violent acts like using bombs and gas to help others, such as supporting a Foundlings Home and showing love, or even being involved in a divorce.
Passage – In all this wild welter, we need some sort of guide. It’s no good inventing Thou Shalt Nots!
What then? Turn truly, honourably to the novel, and see wherein you are man alive, and wherein you are dead man in life. You may eat your dinner as man alive, or as mere masticating corpse. As man alive you may have a shot at your enemy. But as a ghastly simulacrum of life you may be firing bombs into men who are neither your enemies nor your friends, but just things you are dead to. Which is criminal, when the things happen to be alive.
To be alive, to be man alive, to be whole man alive: that is the point. And at its best, the novel, and the novel supremely, can help you. It can help you not to be dead man in life. So much of a man walks about dead and a carcass in the street and house, today: so much of women is merely dead. Like a pianoforte with half the notes mute.
Word meanings
wild welter: a state of unrestrained chaos, turmoil, or a confused jumble of things
Thou Shalt Nots!: a prohibition or a command to refrain from certain actions or behaviors, often used in a religious or moral context, particularly in the context of the Ten Commandments.
masticating: chew (food).
ghastly: causing great horror or fear.
simulacrum: an image or representation of someone or something.
carcass: dead body
pianoforte with half the notes mute: only half of the piano’s strings are vibrating when a note is played, resulting in a softer, more muffled sound, often achieved by using the soft pedal or a similar mechanism.
Explanation of the above passage—In all this chaos, one needs a guide. Creating a list of strict rules won’t help. The narrator questions what happens after it. One should look at novels to understand what it means to be truly alive or a dead person. One can enjoy their meal as a living person or just as a lifeless body. If they are truly alive, they can stand up to their enemies. But if they are just dead persons, they might end up harming people who aren’t really their enemies or friends; they are just objects to them. That’s a crime when those objects are living beings.
The goal is to be fully alive and engaged, and novels can help with that. They can remind one not to live like a dead person. Many people today walk around as if they are lifeless. Many women experience this too, like a piano that can’t play all its notes.
Passage
But in the novel you can see, plainly, when the man goes dead, the woman goes inert. You can develop an instinct for life, if you will, instead of a theory of right and wrong, good and bad.
In life, there is right and wrong, good and bad, all the time. But what is right in one case is wrong in another. And in the novel you see one man becoming a corpse, because of his so-called goodness; another going dead because of his so-called wickedness. Right and wrong is an instinct: but an instinct of the whole consciousness in a man, bodily, mental, spiritual at once. And only in the novel are all things given full play, or at least, they may be given full play, when we realise that life itself, and not inert safety, is the reason for living. For out of the full play of all things emerges the only thing that is anything, the wholeness of a man, the wholeness of a woman, man alive, and live woman.
Word meanings
inert: lacking the ability or strength to move.
wickedness: the quality of being evil or morally wrong.
Explanation of the above passage—In the novel, when a man dies, the woman also feels lifeless. One can learn to understand life through instincts rather than just ideas about right and wrong.
In life, right and wrong exist all the time. However, what is right in one situation can be wrong in another. The novel shows one man dying because of his supposed goodness and another dying due to his supposed wickedness. Right and wrong are instincts that involve the whole person—body, mind, and spirit.
Only in a novel can all aspects of life be explored fully, or at least they can be explored when humans recognize that living life fully, rather than just playing it safe, is what life is about. From this full exploration, they find the true essence of a person—both the wholeness of a man and the wholeness of a woman, alive and engaged with life.
Conclusion
The essay ‘Why the Novel Matters’ by D.H Lawrence gives an insight into the superior nature of the novel to other forms of writings. Students can take help from this post to understand the lesson and also learn the difficult word meanings to get a better grasp over the Why the Novel Matters. This lesson includes the summary of Why the Novel Matters which will help students of class 12 to get a quick recap of the story