The Ladybird

D.H. Lawrence The Ladybird (1923)
Three novellas, one written in 1915 then revised, each more or less exploring the changing dynamic of the relationship between men and women in the aftermath of the Great War. My previous readings of Lawrence's short stories left me with the feeling that the form didn't really allow him space in which to do his thing. These, being longer, seem to support my hunch, although only The Fox seems to work with the same strength of conviction as the novels, or at least the better novels.

Of the three, The Fox seems the least overtly autobiographical and is, presumably as a result, the most direct in delivering ultimately pessimistic observations about the impossibility of true intimacy between men and women, specifically that even with the best of intentions, each sex works against the interests of the other. I personally find this more plausible as a perspective than a statement - keeping in mind here that Lawrence's own relationships tended to be somewhat volatile - but it's impressive that such a perspective can be described without requiring illustration from scheming pantomime characters of obvious ill intention.

The Ladybird and The Captain's Doll may have more going on, and the latter seems to represent a dry run for The Plumed Serpent, albeit with less emphasis on that old time religion; but both seem to stumble here and there - which The Fox avoids - in emptying new people into the narrative at unexpected intervals and unsettling whatever we thought we'd understood up to that point.

Nevertheless, The Ladybird is a reasonably satisfying collection, notable for its characteristic blending of people with their respective environments; for its cautiously progressive, if pessimistic, spirit; for its unflinching analysis of human relationships, and specifically of Lawrence's relationship with Frieda - who was almost certainly doing the milkman during the writing of The Captain's Doll.