Wintry Peacock / From "The New Decameron", Volume III.

Name: Wintry Peacock / From "The New Decameron", Volume III.
Author: D. H. Lawrence

By D. H. Lawrence

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British Literature Short Stories

About This Book

A narrator walking through a wintry village notices tailless peacocks and then encounters a married woman who asks him to read a French letter addressed to her husband; the letter reveals a foreign woman claiming to have borne his child. As the narrator reads, the woman alternates between caressing a favored peacock and delivering bitter, mocking commentary about her husband and the correspondent. The scene blends intimacy, humiliation, and wry humor, contrasting rustic detail and animal tenderness with human emotional complexity, and it evokes marital estrangement, jealousy, and uneasy loyalties.

About the Author

D. H. Lawrence

D. H. Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, and essayist known for his exploration of human relationships and the complexities of modern life. His works often delve into themes of sexuality, nature, and the struggles of individual identity against societal norms. Among his notable titles is "Lady Chatterley's Lover," a controversial novel that challenged the conventions of its time and sparked debates about censorship and morality. Lawrence's poetry, including collections like "Amores" and "Birds, Beasts and Flowers," reflects his deep connection to the natural world and his philosophical inquiries into the human condition. His literary legacy continues to influence writers and thinkers today.