David Herbert LawrenceDavid Herbert Lawrence

18851885 －－ 19301930

Lawrence is one of the greatest English Lawrence is one of the greatest English novelists of the 20th century, and , perhaps, novelists of the 20th century, and , perhaps, the greatest from England proper and from the greatest from England proper and from a working- class family. During his life- long a working- class family. During his life- long literary career, he had written more than literary career, he had written more than ten novels and several volumes of short ten novels and several volumes of short stories. He is also a proficient poet, a stories. He is also a proficient poet, a combative essayist, an atmospheric travel- combative essayist, an atmospheric travel- writer, and a prolific literary writer, and a prolific literary correspondent.correspondent.

His family’s effect on his writingHis family’s effect on his writing

Lawrence was born at a mining village in Lawrence was born at a mining village in Nottinghamshire. The conflict between Nottinghamshire. The conflict between the earthly, coarse, energetic but often the earthly, coarse, energetic but often drunk father and the refined, strong- drunk father and the refined, strong- willed and up- climbing mother is vividly willed and up- climbing mother is vividly presented in his novel.presented in his novel.

Main worksMain works

Sons and Lovers Sons and Lovers 19131913The Rainbow The Rainbow 19151915Women in Love Women in Love 19201920Lady Chatterley’s Lover 1928Lady Chatterley’s Lover 1928

Lady Chatterley’s LoverLady Chatterley’s Lover

The original title: The original title: TendernessTenderness

Lady Chatterley's LoverLady Chatterley's Lover chronicles chronicles Connie's maturation as a woman and as a Connie's maturation as a woman and as a sensual being. sensual being.

ConnieConnie

She comes to despise her weak, ineffectual She comes to despise her weak, ineffectual husband, and to love Oliver Mellors, the husband, and to love Oliver Mellors, the gamekeeper on her husband's estate. In the gamekeeper on her husband's estate. In the process of leaving her husband and process of leaving her husband and conceiving a child with Mellors, Lady conceiving a child with Mellors, Lady Chatterley moves from the heartless, Chatterley moves from the heartless, bloodless world of the intelligentsia and bloodless world of the intelligentsia and aristocracy into a vital and profound aristocracy into a vital and profound connection rooted in sensuality and sexual connection rooted in sensuality and sexual fulfillment. fulfillment.

Clifford ChatterleyClifford Chatterley He is a minor nobleman who becomes He is a minor nobleman who becomes paralyzed from the waist down during World paralyzed from the waist down during World War I. He represents everything that this War I. He represents everything that this novel despises about the modern English novel despises about the modern English nobleman: he is a weak, vain man, but nobleman: he is a weak, vain man, but declares his right to rule the lower classes, declares his right to rule the lower classes, and he soullessly pursues money and fame and he soullessly pursues money and fame through industry and the meaningless through industry and the meaningless manipulation of words. His impotence is manipulation of words. His impotence is symbolic of his failings as a strong, sensual symbolic of his failings as a strong, sensual man. man.

Oliver MellorsOliver Mellors

He is the representative in this novel of the He is the representative in this novel of the Noble Savage: he is a man with an innate Noble Savage: he is a man with an innate nobility but who remains impervious to the nobility but who remains impervious to the pettiness and emptiness of conventional pettiness and emptiness of conventional society, with access to a primitive flame of society, with access to a primitive flame of passion and sensuality.passion and sensuality.

Some questionsSome questions

How do you think that How do you think that Lady Chatterley's Lady Chatterley's Lover,Lover, in its perspective on coal miners in its perspective on coal miners and their role in the industrial economy, and their role in the industrial economy, comments on Lawrence's own comments on Lawrence's own background? background? Who are the sympathetic characters in Who are the sympathetic characters in this novel? this novel? What is your opinion of Mellors? Is he a What is your opinion of Mellors? Is he a worthy match for Connie Chatterley?worthy match for Connie Chatterley?

AnalysisAnalysisThe greatness of The greatness of Lady Chatterley's LoverLady Chatterley's Lover lies lies in a paradox: it is simultaneously in a paradox: it is simultaneously progressive and reactionary, modern and progressive and reactionary, modern and Victorian. It looks backwards towards a Victorian. It looks backwards towards a Victorian stylistic formality, and it seems to Victorian stylistic formality, and it seems to anticipate the social morality of the late 20th anticipate the social morality of the late 20th century in its frank engagement with explicit century in its frank engagement with explicit subject matter and profanity. One might say subject matter and profanity. One might say of the novel that it is formally and of the novel that it is formally and thematically conservative, but thematically conservative, but methodologically radical.methodologically radical.

Analysis continuedAnalysis continued

Lawrence not only condemned the Lawrence not only condemned the civilized world of mechanism that civilized world of mechanism that distorted all natural relationships distorted all natural relationships between men and women, but also between men and women, but also advocated a return to nature.advocated a return to nature.

Points of viewPoints of view

A strong reaction against the mechanical A strong reaction against the mechanical civilizationcivilizationIdeas about natureIdeas about natureViews on psychologyViews on psychologyIdeas of balance or polarityIdeas of balance or polarity