《羽蛇》完成于1926年,既是劳伦斯一生探索现代文明的性爱这一主题的总结,也是他远游美洲的结果。爱尔兰孀妇凯特厌弃了文明世界的种种桎梏,到墨西哥寻求新生,却被卷入当地推翻天主教、复兴古老的羽蛇神崇拜的漩涡;西波里亚诺身上所具有的深湛的男性的力量深深吸引了她,使她领悟到一切真正的生活应开始于男女充满活力的性爱关系中,即实现希腊人的那个占老的传说:男女合为一体,而这正是解决当代人深感困惑的灵与肉的分裂的关键所在。
《羽蛇》通篇是一个非比寻常的有关性、宗教和政治的寓言,劳伦斯痛感现代文明的脆弱和衰败,并确信美洲占教中所具有的神秘力量足以使得日益衰颓的西方文明重获阳刚之气。本书风格独特,蕴含深刻,在劳伦斯的后期创作中与有重要地位。
D.H.LAWRENCE(1885-1930),one of the greatest figures in 2oth-century English literature.Lawrence saw sex and intuition as ways to undistorted perception of reality and means to respond to the inhumanity of the industrial culture.From Lawrence's doctrines of sexual freedom arose obscenity trials,which had a deep effect on the relationship between literature and society.
In I9I2 he wrote:"What the blood feels,and believes,and says,is always true.Lawrence's life after World War I was marked with continuous and restless wandering.
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I Beginnings of a Bull-fight
CHAPTER II Tea-party in Tlacolula
CHAPTER III Fortieth Birthday
CHAPTER IV To Stay or Not to Stay
CHAPTER V The Lake,
CHAPTER VI The Move Down the Lake
CHAPTER VII The Plaza
CHAPTER VIII Night in the House
CHAPTER IX Casa de las Cuentas
CHAPTER X Don Ramon and Dona Carlota
CHAPTER XI Lords of the Day and Night
CHAPTER XII The First Waters
CHAPTER XIII The First Ra
CHAPTER XIV Home to Sayula
CHAPTER XV The Written Hymns of Quetzalcoatl
CHAPTER XVI Cipriano and Kate
CHAPTER XVII Fourth Hymn and the Bishop
CHAPTER XVIIIAuto da Fe
CHAPTER XIX The Attack on Jamiltepec
CHAPTER XX Marriage by Quetzalcoat
CHAPTER XXI The Opening of the Church
CHAPTER XXII The Living Huitzilopochtli
CHAPTER XXIII Huitzilopochtli's Night
CHAPTER XXIV Malintzi
CHAPTER XXV Teresa
CHAPTER XXVI Kate Is a Wife
CHAPTER XXVII Here!