TheRocking-HorseWinner:OverviewCritic:SimonBakerSource:ReferenceGuidetoShortFiction,1sted.,editedbyNoelleWatson,St.JamesPress,1994Criticismabout:D(avid)H(erbertRichards)Lawrence(1885-1930),alsoknownas:DavidHerbertRichardsLawrence,D(avid)H(erbertRichards)Lawrence,JessieChambers,LawrenceH.Davison,DavidHerbertLawrence,D(avid)H(erbert)LawrenceGenre(s):Shortstories;Travelliterature;Novels;Plays;Poetry;Translations;Psychologicalnovels;Literarycriticism;Letters(Correspondence);EssaysThefinalstoriesofD.H.Lawrence,writteninthemiddleandlate1920's,representaperiodofformalexperimentation,inwhichhemovedawayfromtraditionalnarrativerealismandthesettingsofruralandurbanEnglandtotherealmofthemythical,supernaturalfairystory.AsFrankO'Connorsaid,thewithdrawalofthesenseofactualitypushesthestories,closertothetalesofPuskinandPoeratherthanthestudiousrealismofChekhovandMaupassant.YetthatsenseofthemiraculousalwayspresentinLawrence'snarrativesavesthemfrombecomingmereexercisesintheoccultanduncanny."TheRocking-HorseWinner"(collectedinTheLovelyLady,1933),Lawrence'ssecondattempttowriteacontributionforacollectionofghoststoriescompiledbyLadyCynthiaAsquithin1926,isafusionofvariousnarrativemodes.PerhapsclosertotheGermanMärchen(initsbleakness)thanthefairystory,itisaconsciousartisticadaptationoftheoralstorytellingtechnique.ItcombineselementsofthesupernaturalandthefablewithavarietyofLawrence'sfavouritetraits,suchastheunhappymaritalrelationship,thecapitalistobsessionwithmoneyandwork,andthepervasivesexualandreligioussymbolism.Thecharactersonlyliveinsofarastheyprogressthenarrative,makingthestorysimilartoDoyleSpringer'sdefinitionofan"apologue,"anovertandstylizedparablewherethecharactersareneverourprimeconcern,sincesomeideashapesthewhole.[thatis,insuchstories,wearemoreinterestedin“ideas”—themesratherthancharacters]Thebasicplotconcernsamiddle-classcouplewholivebeyondtheirmeans,andtheeffectthishasontheiryoungson.Upsetbyhismother'sunhappiness,andmindfulofherbeliefthatthefamilyare"unlucky,"hesetsouttodiscover"luck,"andtherebyobtainwealth.Hesecuresbothbyridinghisrocking-horsetothepointoffrenzy,andmagicallycomingupwiththenamesofwinnersinclassicraces,aidedbyhisuncleandthegardener.However,thefortuneheamassesdoesn'tbringhismotherthehappinesshehadexpected,andinanefforttopursuestillgreaterwealthhecollapsesanddiesattheverymomentofhisgreatestvictory.ThesuspensionofincredulityrequiredbythereaderisbarelyapparentbecauseofthesubtletywithwhichLawrencenarratestheevents:Therewasawomanwhowasbeautiful,whostartedwithalltheadvantages,yetshehadnoluck.Shemarriedforlove,andtheloveturnedtodust.Shehadbonnychildren,yetshefelttheyhadbeenthrustuponher,andshecouldnotlovethem.Thefairytalesimplicityoftheopeningsentenceisechoedinhisnextstory,"TheManWhoLovedIslands,"amoreovertmoralfable.Theshortsentences,dividedintotwoorthreesyntacticalclauseseachtime,impartthesenseofafixed,eternalunfoldingofeventswiththeirnurseryrhymesimplicity,especiallytherepetitionof"she,""yet,"and"and"atthebeginningofeachclause.Thislinguisticrepetitionisthemedthroughoutthenarrative,withthestressesfallingonthephrases"theremustbemoremoney,""luck,"and"whenI'msure."Thespectralqualityisreinforcedbythefirstofthosephrasesbeinggiventoinanimateobjects,thesatireontheconsumerismandrapacityofpolitesocietyemphasizedbythehousefurnishings:Andyetthevoicesinthehouse,behindthespraysofmimosaa...