D. H. Lawrence
The Rainbow (1915) by D. H. Lawrence traces three generations of the Brangwen family in rural Nottinghamshire, exploring their struggles with love, marriage, sexuality, and the changing social order. Beginning with Tom Brangwen, whose earthy passion and marriage to the refined Lydia sets the family’s tone, the story moves to his nephew Will and his marriage to Anna, a union marked by both deep attraction and conflict. The narrative culminates in the life of their daughter, Ursula, who embodies Lawrence’s vision of the modern individual striving for independence, self-discovery, and spiritual fulfillment.The novel highlights the tension between tradition and change, the intimate conflicts of men and women, and the human yearning for a deeper connection with life-symbolized by the rainbow as a vision of hope and renewal.