The Death of Victorian Morality and the Emergence of Post-Victorian Female Subject in D.H. Lawrence’s The Virgin And The Gipsy

Abstract

This research examines some issues related to the representation of Victorian morality and post-Victorian morality in England in D.H. Lawrence’s novella entitled The Virgin and the Gipsy which is published in 1930. The representation of Victorian morality is represented through Granny while post- Victorian morality is represented through Yvette. Victorian morality and post- Victorian morality represented in the novella come under four following classifications: fashion, marriage, human relationship and sexuality. In order to analyze the representation, this research uses Stuart Hall’s theory of representation that is taken from his book entitled: “Representation: Cultural Representation and Signifying Practice”. In addition, there are two goals of study in this research. The first goal is to provide some descriptions about Victorian morality and post- Victorian morality in England represented in the novella. Then the second goal is to find out what beyond the ideology of Victorian morality and post-Victorian morality in England represented in the novella. The data of this research are classified into two kinds, primary data and secondary data. The primary data are fact and information related to Victorian morality and post-Victorian morality issues in D.H. Lawrence’s novella entitled The Virgin and the Gipsy. Then, the secondary data are any fact and information about history of England in the Victorian period. The secondary data are used to strengthen the arguments in analyzing the primary data. This research also uses inductive method. Finally, from the discussion, D.H. Lawrence represents Victorian morality and post-Victorian morality in England through the two female characters of the novella, Granny and Yvette. Through the novella he shows his agreement towards post-Victorian morality. The Victorian morality can impede one’s creativities and it can be classified as a form of unfair policy. In addition, Post-Victorian morality stands as the opposite of the Victorian morality. However, post-Victorian morality conveys liberalism values. These values become the basic of change, growth, progress, and revolution, toward the civilization of human being.