Sons and Lovers Cambridge Lawrence Edition (Twentieth-Century Classics) Paperback - 1995

Though it is the author’s third novel, Sons and Lovers is often regarded as D.H. Lawrence’s masterpiece. The autobiographical work, which was originally titled Paul Morel after its protagonist, was set in motion with the death of Lawrence’s mother, Lydia. The author used the opportunity to reexamine his childhood, his relationship with his mother, and her psychological effect on his sexuality.

Sons and Lovers had already been rejected by one publisher when Lawrence sent the manuscript to Edward Garnett of Gerald Duckworth and Company Ltd. Garnett made extensive editing suggestions and still — after Lawrence rewrote the manuscript for the fourth time — cut 80 passages, about 10% of the work, before its 1913 publication.

At the time of publication, Sons and Lovers was criticized for being obscene. But the novel endured. It has been adapted for film multiple times, including the Academy Award winning 1960 film. The Modern Library placed it ninth on their list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century.

"There was one place in the world that stood solid and did not melt into unreality: the place where his mother was. Everybody else could grow shadowy, almost non-existent to him, but she could not." In his quest to find his emotional and independent self, Paul Morel is torn between the strong, Oedipal bond he has with his mother and the relationships he forges as a young adult, with chaste Miriam and the provocative Clara. As Paul matures and struggles with his own and his mother's feelings towards the other women in his life, Lawrence expertly crafts a timeless and universal story of family, love and the relationships that define us.

Details

• Title Sons and Lovers Cambridge Lawrence Edition (Twentieth-Century Classics)
• Author D. H. Lawrence
• Binding Paperback
• Edition Reprint
• Pages 560
• Language EN
• Publisher Penguin Classics, London
• Date January 1, 1995
• ISBN 9780140188325