This book demonstrates how D.H. Lawrence's prophetic ambitions impelled him to create novels that would radically transform the consciousness of his readers. Charles Burack argues that Lawrence's major novels, beginning with The Rainbow , are structured as religious initiation rites that attempt to break down the reader's normative mindset and to evoke new, numinous experiences of self and world. Through careful analysis of narrative structure, literary technique, and sacred discourses, Burack shows that Lawrence tries to initiate the reader into his own version of religious vitalism. Unlike most initiations that conclude with powerful affirmations, Lawrence's novels generally end with an attempt to subvert the formation of new religious dogmas and to encourage sacred-erotic exploration.

"This is the sort of book which makes one glad to be an academic, which is to say it is a pleasure to read and demonstrates the added value that original scholarship can bring to works of literature. Charles Burack s book is well-written and persuasively argued." - Consciousness, Literature and the Arts"While most critics have emphasized his psychological insights or uncanny evocations of place, Charles Burack's fresh study focuses on the novelist's prophetic aspirations. As this commentator plows new ground, the reader reaps new perspectives." - Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment