A Fragment of Stained Glass
"A Fragment of Stained Glass" by D.H. Lawrence: The story follows a young woman named Beatrice who becomes obsessed with a stained glass window she finds in a church. She spends hours gazing at it, lost in the colors and patterns, and begins to feel a deep connection to the divine. However, her obsession eventually turns to madness as she becomes convinced that the window is alive and speaking to her. The story explores themes of spirituality, isolation, and the blurring of reality and fantasy.
By D.H. Lawrence · First published 1926 · Genre: Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction · 5,064 words
First lines
Beauvale is, or was, the largest parish in England. It is thinly populated, only just netting the stragglers from shoals of houses in three large mining villages. For the rest, it holds a great tract of woodland, fragment of old Sherwood, a few hills of pasture and arable land, three collieries, and, finally, the ruins of a Cistercian abbey. These ruins lie in a still rich meadow at the foot of the last fall of woodland, through whose oaks shines a blue of hyacinths, like water, in Maytime. Of the abbey, there remains only the east wall of the chancel standing, a wild thick mass of ivy weighting one shoulder, while pigeons perch in the tracery of the lofty window. This is the window in question.
What this Textopian page supports
A Fragment of Stained Glass is listed on Textopian as a short story by D.H. Lawrence, dated 1926 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: D.H. Lawrence
- Date: 1926 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
- Length: 5,064 words
- Structure: 1 section, 123 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Fragment of Stained Glass by D.H. Lawrence
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering A Fragment of Stained Glass?
- How does this short story by D.H. Lawrence fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Short Stories first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- Blue by D. H. Lawrence
- The Man Who Died by D. H. Lawrence
- The Poplar Richard Aldington by D. H. Lawrence
- Fragment F S Flint by D. H. Lawrence
- A Modern Idyll by Frank Harris
- The Face by Frederic Manning
Genres
- Short Stories — This work is a part of D.H. Lawrence's larger collection of short stories.
- Historical Fiction — The book tells a tale set in the past, making it a piece of historical fiction.
- Literary Fiction — D.H. Lawrence's rich language and exploration of characters through their anxieties, obsessions, and joys place this work in the sphere of literary fiction.
Tags
modernism · symbolism · fragmentation · identity · human experience · nature · relationships · emotional depth · introspection · art · perception · existentialism