Research Article

JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR

Volume: 27 Number: 50 January 31, 2026
TR EN

JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR

Abstract

D. H. Lawrence’s novella St. Mawr (1925) critiques the illusions of modern civilisation upheld by Enlightenment ideologies that mythologise rationality, human superiority over nature, and the promise of societal perfection. The eponymous horse, St. Mawr, embodies primal, instinctual forces that challenge these myths. Through her bond with the horse, Lou reconnects with a more primitive form of life, confronting natural instincts and destructive truths repressed by modernity. Her transformation follows a rite of initiation, culminating in a tragic disposition that resists civilisation’s constraints. The study thus focuses particularly on the animal, spirit and initiation archetypes as key Jungian patterns structuring Lou’s experience. It explores Jungian archetypes and Nietzschean tragic myth in St. Mawr as tools to subvert dominant cultural narratives and envision a more authentic, liberated existence. At the same time, it considers Lawrence’s critique of the culture industry, showing how mass civilisation reinforces illusions by disciplining instinct and enforcing conformity. Lawrence demonstrates that myth can serve as both ideological confinement and a path to salvation, proposing that the oppressive myths of modernity may be overcome by engaging with the collective unconscious and its recurring symbols, which link contemporary humanity to its primal origins.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

The article has been prepared in accordance with research and publication ethics. This study does not require ethics committee approval.

References

  1. Baumlin, J. S., Baumlin, T. F., Jensen, G. H. (Eds.). (2004). Post-Jungian criticism: Theory and practice. State University of New York Press.
  2. Booth, H. J. (2000). Lawrence in doubt: A theory of the other and its collapse. In H. J. Booth, N. Rigby (Eds.). Modernism and Empire (pp. 197-223), Manchester University Press.
  3. Gidley, M. (1974). Antipodes: D. H. Lawrence’s St. Mawr. Ariel, 5(1), 25-41.
  4. Habermas, J. (1982). The entwinement of myth and enlightenment: Re-reading dialectic of enlightenment. (Trans: T. Y. Levin), New German Critique, (26), 13-30.
  5. Henderson, J. L. (1964). Ancient myths and modern man. In C. G. Jung (Ed.), Man and His Symbols (pp. 95-156), Dell Publishing.
  6. Horkheimer, M. & Adorno, T. W. (2002) Dialectic of enlightenment: Philosophical fragments. In G. S. Noerr (Ed.) (Trans: E. Jephcott), Stanford University Press. (Original work published 1942)
  7. Horkheimer, M. & Adorno, T. W. (2002). The culture industry: Enlightenment as mass deception. In G. S. Noerr (Ed.) (Trans: E. Jephcott), Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments (pp. 94-136), Stanford University Press. (Original work published 1942)
  8. Jaffe, A. (1964). Symbolism in the visual arts. In C. G. Jung (Ed.), Man and His Symbols (pp. 255-322), Dell Publishing.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture, Literary Theory

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

January 31, 2026

Submission Date

July 15, 2025

Acceptance Date

October 11, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 27 Number: 50

APA
Önder, A. (2026). JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR. Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 27(50), 239-252. https://doi.org/10.21550/sosbilder.1742822
AMA
1.Önder A. JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR. Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2026;27(50):239-252. doi:10.21550/sosbilder.1742822
Chicago
Önder, Ayda. 2026. “JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR”. Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 27 (50): 239-52. https://doi.org/10.21550/sosbilder.1742822.
EndNote
Önder A (January 1, 2026) JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR. Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 27 50 239–252.
IEEE
[1]A. Önder, “JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR”, Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, vol. 27, no. 50, pp. 239–252, Jan. 2026, doi: 10.21550/sosbilder.1742822.
ISNAD
Önder, Ayda. “JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR”. Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 27/50 (January 1, 2026): 239-252. https://doi.org/10.21550/sosbilder.1742822.
JAMA
1.Önder A. JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR. Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2026;27:239–252.
MLA
Önder, Ayda. “JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR”. Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, vol. 27, no. 50, Jan. 2026, pp. 239-52, doi:10.21550/sosbilder.1742822.
Vancouver
1.Ayda Önder. JUNGIAN ARCHETYPES OF THE ANIMAL, SPIRIT, AND INITIATION AND NIETZSCHEAN TRAGIC MYTH IN CRITIQUING MODERNITY IN D. H. LAWRENCE’S ST. MAWR. Uludağ Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2026 Jan. 1;27(50):239-52. doi:10.21550/sosbilder.1742822