The Plumed Serpent [Paperback]

D.H. Lawrence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 1992

The story of a European woman's self-annihilating plunge into the intrigues, passions, and pagan rituals of Mexico. Lawrence's mesmerizing and unsettling 1926 novel is his great work of the political imagination.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lawrence writes on rebirth and reflects on the ambience of Mexico and New Mexico in this 1926 novel of a woman whose passions inspire her to flee an unexciting husband.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description

The Plumed Serpent, one of Lawrence's most vivid novels, is set in Mexico in the 1920s and centres on the religion of the ancient Aztecs. The Cambridge edition establishes for the first time a meticulously edited text based on the manuscript, typescript and proof material, nearly all of which survives. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (June 2, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679734937
• ISBN-13: 978-0679734932
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #436,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than critics give credit for, July 19, 2004

By 

Scott Henson (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Plumed Serpent (Paperback)

The critics focus on Lawrence's lifelong sexual themes and his colonial-era views on race, but the best part of this book, and the reason it's still important, is that it contains Lawrence's prescription for modern metaphysical ills -- a return to religion, not Christianity but a sort of new paganism which draws at its core on ideas from gnosticism and eastern mysticism. Lawrence thinks that Quetzalcoatl would embody this new paganism in Mexico, but he has Ramon suggest to Kate that, if she returns to Ireland, she should encourage the Irish to similarly reinvent the Celtic gods on the gnostic model. Ramon thinks every culture should revert to its old gods -- which he thinks are all expressions of the same, universal God -- because different "races," or to use more modern, politically correct terminology, different cultures understand the idea of "god" through their own unique experience, history and ways of thinking. Regardless of any other shortcomings, this is a fascinating, thoughtful approach, artfully presented.

I liked Lawrence's Quetzalcoatl hymns quite a bit, and thought they added immensely to the above-identified theme. They reminded me a great deal of some the Nag Hammadi manuscripts -- gnostic Christian teachings discovered in Egypt in the 1940s, and famously described by Elaine Pagels in The Gnostic Gospels. What's most amazing is the depth and scope of Lawrence's gnostic philosophy without having had access to those ancient Egyptian texts, which were not discovered until after the writer's death.

Those viewing this book through a purely feminist lens will dislike it; those who espouse identity politics will find themselves conflicted. But for anyone interested in a great writer's "practical" solution to the great spiritual dilemmas of the modern era, or who simply enjoys reading 400 pages of top-shelf prose, "The Plumed Serpent" is worth the time investment.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lawrence's Spiritual Journey, December 21, 1999

By 

Ron Silverman (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Plumed Serpent (Paperback)

One gets the impression that D.H. Lawrence's visit to Mexico in the 1920's was quite difficult; Mexico was rocked by political and social violence and even extremes of climate. Yet somehow, Lawrence has successfully managed to transform his experiences into a novel alive and vital. His characters are early 20th century spiritual seekers in a country that still has not been completely deadened by what Lawrence sees as the century's materialistic malaise. His spiritual ideas are much more profound than what can be found in most modern New Age manuals, and imbedded as they are in a realistic fiction, much more entertaining.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Some Patience, October 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Plumed Serpent (Paperback)

This is one of those books that once you take the time to get familiar with, it will pull you along at a slow and sometimes painful pace. The honest and direct sensuality of the people, Kate's confusion between the love of life and the distaste for the common man, the marraige of religions, and the stuggle to become true men and women do offer the reader a wonderfly detailed story. I recommend this to anyone who feels they need a mental vacation for the social triviality of the modern day world. It is a book to help regain perspective.