Lady Chatterley's Lover (Wordsworth Classics)

Lady Chatterley's Lover novel was not allowed to be published until 1960, nearly 30 years after Lawrence' death. We would read both the book and watch the movie today and wonder - what's the problem? Yes, there is sex in this book and movie. As, with most of us, there is in real life. But this is much more than the titillation of sex for entertainment. It is a story that has its background in the harsh life for almost all but the noble in post WWI England. And it is a story where love tries to cross that insurmountable boundary in English society. Lady Chatterley is a noble woman, who winds up with a crippled, shattered noble man as her husband following WWI. She respects him, but never had true, romantic love for him. He has a vast estate, upon which lives a virile gamekeeper under his hire. This man is a commoner, but has intelligence, was an officer in the army, and has a kindness towards nature that touches Lady Chatterley, married to a man whose emotions for beauty, tenderness, and the weaker things of nature are as dead as his legs. The lady and the gamekeeper find a bond, a love, and that is the story here. Watch it. It is one of the most beautiful love movies you will ever see.

This book should be read before any student graduates from college as it will help students understand censorship in the US and abroad. In addition, each sentence is a thing of beauty presenting romantic love as separate from marital love.

This novel told of depression and tragedy. By that, I mean it depicted horrible ideals believed by both men and women. Men saw women as nothing more than property, and women saw men as children who throw tantrums if they don’t get their way. Love didn’t need to exist between two people who are married – just being and living together was enough (for a man). I found the analogies amusing, such as men considering sex as mere communication or sport, and thinking women and sex as “cold-minded”. This book evoked an assortment of emotions in me, which an author hopes to accomplish for his/her reader. It angered me with the scene where Michaelis “comes to crisis” before Connie, and believes she held out on purpose. He then has to “keep it up” for her to reach her “crisis” and is put out by it. It softened me with the line, “The beautiful, pure freedom of a woman was infinitely more wonderful than any sexual love.” It made me thoughtful with Clifford’s idea about marriage – that it is more than having sex. This is true. The fact he doesn’t consider having affairs as a detriment to that marriage, on the other hand, is not. As far as the characters in the novel go, I appreciate D.H. Lawrence allowing the reader to think Connie as a strong character – i.e. when the men are grouped together talking around the fire with Connie silently needlepointing nearby. The men seemed to talk more openly and at ease with her present among them than if she were absent. I appreciated also, Connie’s awakening to “Life” as she referred to her new sexuality, and how she appreciated Mellor’s naked body. However, nearing the end, Connie fell into the role of a child who needed constant reassurances from Mellors that he loved her. She became pathetic in my mind, acting in desperation when trying to pull the words out of Mellors’ mouth. At that point, I pitied her. For the most part, I did not begin to enjoy the book until mid-way through. I considered it too intellectual and boorish for me. When reading a heavy romance, I want to be swept up in the plot and carried away on a cloud of sexuality. I don’t want to think about the future of industry and the human race (if it’s not a science fiction!). Once the affair between Connie and Mellors started, I was hooked on their struggles and euphoric encounters, and remained that way until the end.

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I'd recommend picking up this old classic and rereading it for Lawrence's take on male female relationships. it's worth the time.

I don't like the story at all. It's long and drawn out and Schmoop can make it 100% more interesting.

I didn't receive the book for 3 weeks, which means it was probably sent out the last date given. Most of the books I order come within a week, so I was very surprised it took so long to receive. I wasn't able to read it on time for my book club so probably won't order from this vendor again...

It is a classic