Reflections on the Death of a Porcupine and Other Essays

Reflections on the Death of a Porcupine and Other Essays contains what Lawrence himself called the 'philosophicalish' essays written in the decade 1915–1925. The essays range from short pieces like 'Love' and 'Life' to the lengthy 'Education of the People'; from the light-hearted 'Climbing Down Pisgah' to the serious meditation 'Resurrection'; from political pieces like 'Democracy' and 'Aristocracy' to poetical essays on nature such as 'Whistling of Birds'. This edition restores what Lawrence himself wrote before typists, editors and compositors made the extensive alterations which have been followed in all previous versions of the texts. Sometimes entire passages, removed by mistake or for reasons of censorship, have been recovered. The introduction describes the genesis, textual history, and reception of the essays; the textual apparatus records variant readings; and the explanatory notes offer help with allusions and other points of difficulty in the texts.