Lady Chatterley's Lover
Ratings29
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings29
Average rating3.3
One of the most extraordinary literary works of the twentieth century, Lady Chatterley's Lover was banned in England and the United States after its initial publication in 1928. The unexpurgated edition did not appear in America until 1959, after one of the most spectacular legal battles in publishing history. Part of Penguin's beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design. Constance Chatterley feels trapped in her sexless marriage to the invalid Sir Clifford. Unable to fulfil his wife emotionally or physically, Clifford encourages her to have a liaison with a man of their own class. But Connie is attracted instead to her husband's gamekeeper and embarks on a passionate affair that brings new life to her stifled existence. Can she find a true equality with Mellors, despite the vast gulf between their positions in society? One of the most controversial novels in English literature, Lady Chatterley's Lover is an erotically charged and psychologically powerful depiction of adult relationships.
Reviews with the most likes.
Lawrence's commentary on English industrial society is pointed and vitriolic. It's clear he sympathises with the working class and disdains upper class hubris. It was useful having background on the time period from reading Orwell's Road to Wigan Pier and Hommage to Catalonia. Both Lawrence and Orwell share similar perspectives on the pernicious impacts of industrialisation, consumerist society and the consequential demise of romanticism and celebration of the human spirit. The period is a pretty fascinating one as it seemed that the old aristocracy were on their last legs, recognising (albeit reluctantly) their irrelevance in a society that was growing to recognise modern ideas of social mobility and egalitarianism. The characters felt a bit one dimensional, each one having a strong point of view, never really questioning their own perspectives. The novel is a sucker for romantics, with a lot of romantic literary techniques used by Shelley, Eliot and what not. Overall, I liked Lawrence's criticism on social injustice and entrenched class norms in modern England but found myself eye rolling at the shallow characters and cliche romantic narrative. I appreciated the provocative language and (for its time) unconventional focus on a woman's sexual desires and sexual fulfilment.
Read this one because I enjoyed the Netflix adaption (which was sort of Pride and Prejudice vibes but more horny). But in the book version, the male lead definitely isn't a Mr Darcy :( definitely very explicit for a 100 year old book, I can see why it was banned!
Having made copious notes, (would not have subjected myself to this were it not for a fortuitously timed intersection of online book club and library copy availability) where do I start to sum up my thoughts and feelings?
I was surprised there was no firm final tragic parting of the lovers, as the text occasionally seemed to be leaning and which I think historical classics are often guilty of.
I feel like as forward thinking as Lawrence may have been in his day, he's so far behind where we are now in relation to sex and gender that I can't sing his praises.
I am glad that his challenge against the soul-crushing, polluting industries and capitalism of his day was out there for all to read, similarly his painful repetition of instances of classism indicating how destructive such a system is.
Connie and Oliver are flawed, but they work as object lessons of how a society set up with certain roles and expectations does a disservice to all involved, whether they act in accordance with the rules or try to step outside them. Oliver and Clifford also distill how wretched wars/conflicts/military's effect on humans is.
My gut instinct that many historical classics decided to present their message via the medium of misery is holding steady, unfortunately, and it's not my preferred reading.
⚠️Ableism, classism, racism, antisemitism, SA, spousal abuse, misogyny, transphobia (in A Propos after word)
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