Posted ByJim on September 23, 19101 at 22:17:45:
In Reply to: Tropic of Cancer posted byMarc on September 17, 19101 at 08:53:52:
Henry felt an immense debt to D.H. Lawrence. He amassed many notes for a projected book about Lawrence. The book was never completed (to my knowledge) but the notes are available in some libraries. If you are lucky and can get your hands on them you could write a paper on how Henry was influenced by D.H. At least Henry himself felt the influence was deep. (Maybe it wasn't?)
Also, Henry was a Romantic and had one foot deeply planted in Puritanism. What is it like when a Puritan breaks loose. Is he still a Puritan at heart? How does Miller's response differ from Hemingway, Fitzgerald, etc. who were also breaking loose from the old ways of writing American Literature. How does his response differ from the "proletarian" writers of the thirties who were his peers working in America? Maybe your answers could help explain why Miller has always been considered a marginal figure in what Universities consider to be American Literature. Maybe he shouldn't be so considered. Maybe Miller is the true descendent of Thoreau, Whitman, Mark Twain, etc.
Who knows. Just some random thoughts.