IBN ‘ARABĪ’S CREATIVE IMAGINATION AND ITS ECHOES IN D.H. LAWRENCE’S WOMEN IN LOVE
Kanz Philosophia: A Journal for Islamic Philosophy and Mysticism December 9, 2024 Cyrine Kortas
D. H. Lawrence's novel Women in Love can be read through the lens of Sufi mysticism, revealing love as a transformative spiritual journey. The character of Birkin embodies Lawrence's "New Man" archetype—a radical departure from traditional masculinity that collapsed after World War I—striving for an authentic integration of body, mind, and spirit. Lawrence's use of symbolism and imagery resonates with Sufi concepts such as the unity of the universe and the mystical path to knowledge. The novel explores spiritual fulfillment within a context of societal disintegration, positioning it as a modernist work that envisions a harmonious, spiritually grounded love as a means of transcendence.