Ah….. DH Lawrence

Phew!

I’ve just finished reading Lady Chatterley’s Lover, the infamous classic by 19th century author DH Lawrence. The book (too provocative for it’s time) created controversy, invited vitriol and was censored until the 1950s.

Married to the cripple Sir Clifford, the restless Lady Constance Chatterley has an affair with gamekeeper Mellors where both discover the freedom of mind that comes from utter surrender of the body.

Containing explicit descriptions of sex in old poetic English and rants about money and the evils of industrialisation, I am amazed at Lawrence and his deep perception for the complexities of human psychology. Perhaps I am most curious how he was so able to wantonly understand the depths of a woman’s soul.

Much of what he talks about through his characters - the nothingness of life, inability to be free without money, men’s extraordinary need for praise, the impossibilities of two different classes as man and wife and how incorrect pairings bring about living corpses; are all extremely relatable today.

Lawrence is a writer, poet, thinker all in one. And while I cannot say the book was easy or enjoyable to read, I found it a worthy read; one they gave me much reason for reflection and value to my existence.

My favourite line from the book, “How inordinately strong the craving for self assertion and success is in men. It is enormously over-developed.”

My second favourite line - “It’s quite true, as some poets said, that the God who created man must have had a sinister sense of humour, creating him a reasonable being, yet forcing him to take this ridiculous posture and driving him with blind craving for this ridiculous performance.” Why Mr Lawrence, I couldn’t agree more.