Architects of the Self

In the post-Jane Austen era, George Eliot, D.H. Lawrence, and E.M. Forster uniquely probe the evolving nature of selfhood, each contributing to a broader dialogue on what it means to be fully human. Eliot embodies the Victorian commitment to duty and moral conscience, where restraint and selflessness form the highest ideals. In stark contrast, Lawrence celebrates instinctual vitality, emphasizing the authenticity found in embracing bodily desires as a form of spiritual truth. Forster, positioned between these two extremes, advocates a balanced integration of mind and flesh, famously urging that we "only connect." Together, these writers represent key perspectives in a shifting era where traditional Christian values gave way to modern self-assertion, reflecting a spectrum of approaches to identity amid the disintegration of Victorian norms.

These authors capture the post-Christian struggle to redefine human ideals, resonating with Nietzsche's individualism and pushing back against Victorian rigidity. Eliot, Lawrence, and Forster each envision a path toward wholeness that reflects the era’s rethinking of moral and social values. Eliot’s structured conscience, Lawrence’s fervent embrace of natural vitality, and Forster’s pursuit of harmonious connection reveal the tensions of the human experience—between duty and desire, spiritual and physical, selflessness and fulfillment. In their distinct yet complementary ways, they mark a cultural and literary transition, showing the self as a complex site of conflict and potential, redefining what it means to live fully and meaningfully in a rapidly changing world.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1972.