Fanny and Annie
Uploaded by boff_brigader on May 07, 2002
Introduction
In this essay I will be discussing whether it is class or not which keeps the two lovers apart or whether it is Fanny’s subconscious. There is a strong possibility that the story is developed around the idea of the conscious and subconscious, as many of D H Lawrence’s short stories develop from Freudian concepts. His wife taught him about Sigmund Freud and since then he was hooked on writing short stories that made you think about your conscious and subconscious, Fanny and Annie is definitely one of them.
Class
However there is no doubt that class does play some part in keeping them apart, as it seems to be connected to her conscious and subconscious minds, with subconscious linking with the working class and her conscious linking with the middle class.
There, on the sordid little station under the furnaces, she stood, tall and distinguished, in her well-made coat and skirt and her broad velour hat. She held her umbrella, her bead chatelaine, and a little leather case in her grey-gloved hands, while Harry staggered out of the ugly little train with her bags. -page 97, lines 2-6
This paragraph clearly links Fanny with the middle class with her extravagant accessories, and Harry with the working class with the him carrying her bags out of the ugly little train. Harry is perceived as being like a servant, having to carry the more sophisticated Fanny’s bags.
Although this paragraph does show that class does have a part in keeping the couple apart, I think this is only because her subconscious mind links with the working class and her conscious mind links with the middle class. This is clear as we can see Fanny has chosen her image carefully in order to say, “I’m better than you Mr. Working Class”. But we can also see that something has brought her back to Nottinghamshire. This I believe is her subconscious, which is telling her that she is working class and that she loves Harry and belongs in Nottinghamshire.
She had come home - for good! Her heart nearly stopped beating as she trudged up and down that hideous interminable hill, beside the laden figure. What a come-down! What a come-down! She could not take it with her usual bright cheerfulness. She knew it all too well. It is easy to bear up against the unusual, but the deadly familiarity of an old stale past! - page 98, lines...