All Souls by D.H. Lawrence (1917)
All Souls is a novel by D.H. Lawrence, first published in 1921. It is set in the fictional mining town of Bestwood, England, and follows the lives of the Morel family. The novel begins with the death of Walter Morel, a miner who has been married to Gertrude for twenty-five years. Gertrude is left to raise their four children alone, and the novel follows the lives of the Morel family as they struggle to make ends meet. The eldest son, William, is a successful businessman, while the second son, Paul, is a talented artist. The youngest son, Arthur, is a miner like his father, and the daughter, Miriam, is a teacher. The novel follows the family as they experience love, loss, and tragedy. William and Paul both fall in love with the same woman, Clara Dawes, and their rivalry leads to a tragic end. Arthur is killed in a mining accident, and Miriam is left alone and heartbroken. The novel ends with Gertrude's death, and the family is left to pick up the pieces of their lives. All Souls is a powerful and moving story of family, love, and loss.
By D.H. Lawrence · First published 1917 · Genre: Modernist Literature, Romance, Drama · 240 words
First lines
THEY are chanting now the service of All the Dead And the village folk outside in the burying ground Listen--except those who strive with their dead, Reaching out in anguish, yet unable quite to touch them: Those villagers isolated at the grave Where the candles burn in the daylight, and the painted wreaths Are propped on end, there, where the mystery starts.
The naked candles burn on every grave. On your grave, in England, the weeds grow.
But I am your naked candle burning, And that is not your grave, in England, The world is your grave. And my naked body standing on your grave Upright towards heaven is burning off to you Its flame of life, now and always, till the end.
What this Textopian page supports
All Souls is listed on Textopian as a short story by D.H. Lawrence, dated 1917 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: 1917 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Modernist Literature, Romance, Drama, Realism, Psychological Fiction
- Length: 240 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for All Souls 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 All Souls?
- How does this short story by D.H. Lawrence fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Modernist Literature first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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Genres
- Modernist Literature — All Souls is a modernist novel written by D.H. Lawrence, a renowned modernist author.
- Romance — All Souls follows the story of two lovers, Michael and Ursula, and their tumultuous relationship.
- Drama — The novel is filled with dramatic moments and conflicts between characters, making it a drama.
- Realism — All Souls is a realistic novel, depicting the everyday lives of its characters in a realistic manner.
Tags
Modernism · anguish · body · burn · burning · burying · busy · candle · candles · chanting · concerned · day