Naked Liberty and the World of Desire

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. Naked Liberty 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.

Acknowledgments Abbreviations Notes Introduction: Lawrence's Sympathy with Anarchism 1. The Radical Individualism of D. H. Lawrence and Max Stirner 2. The Presence of Compulsion 3. The Constituents of Freedom 4. Marriage and the Established Order 5. Natural Aristocracy and Lawrence's Double Vision 6. The Making of an Anarchist in kangaroo Conclusion List of Quoted Essays Works Cited Index