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Sons and Lovers (Modern Library Classics)
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.912
EAN: 9780375753732
ISBN: 0375753737
Label: Modern Library
Manufacturer: Modern Library
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 752
Publication Date: August 17, 1999
Publisher: Modern Library
Release Date: August 17, 1999
Studio: Modern Library
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Editorial Review:
Sons and Lovers was the first modern portrayal of a phenomenon that later, thanks to Freud, became easily recognizable as the Oedipus complex. Never was a son more indentured to his mother's love and full of hatred for his father than Paul Morel, D.H. Lawrence's young protagonist. Never, that is, except perhaps Lawrence himself. In his 1913 novel he grappled with the discordant loves that haunted him all his life--for his spiritual childhood sweetheart, here called Miriam, and for his mother, whom he transformed into Mrs. Morel. It is, by Lawrence's own account, a book aimed at depicting this woman's grasp: "as her sons grow up she selects them as lovers--first the eldest, then the second. These sons are urged into life by their reciprocal love of their mother--urged on and on. But when they come to manhood, they can't love, because their mother is the strongest power in their lives."
Of course, Mrs. Morel takes neither of her two elder sons (the first of whom dies early, which further intensifies her grip on Paul) as a literal lover, but nonetheless her psychological snare is immense. She loathes Paul's Miriam from the start, understanding that the girl's deep love of her son will oust her: "She's not like an ordinary woman, who can leave me my share in him. She wants to absorb him." Meanwhile, Paul plays his part with equal fervor, incapable of committing himself in either direction: "Why did his mother sit at home and suffer?... And why did he hate Miriam, and feel so cruel towards her, at the thought of his mother. If Miriam caused his mother suffering, then he hated her--and he easily hated her." Soon thereafter he even confesses to his mother: "I really don't love her. I talk to her, but I want to come home to you."
The result of all this is that Paul throws Miriam over for a married suffragette, Clara Dawes, who fulfills the sexual component of his ascent to manhood but leaves him, as ever, without a complete relationship to challenge his love for his mother. As Paul voyages from the working-class mining world to the spheres of commerce and art (he has fair success as a painter), he accepts that his own achievements must be equally his mother's. "There was so much to come out of him. Life for her was rich with promise. She was to see herself fulfilled... All his work was hers."
The cycles of Paul's relationships with these three women are terrifying at times, and Lawrence does nothing to dim their intensity. Nor does he shirk in his vivid, sensuous descriptions of the landscape that offers up its blossoms and beasts and "shimmeriness" to Paul's sensitive spirit. Sons and Lovers lays fully bare the souls of men and earth. Few books tell such whole, complicated truths about the permutations of love as resolutely without resolution. It's nothing short of searing to be brushed by humanity in this manner. --Melanie Rehak
With a new Introduction by Geoff Dyer
Commentary by Anthony Burgess, Jessie Chambers, Frieda Lawrence, V.S. Pritchett, Kate Millett, and Alfred KazinOf all Lawrence's work, Sons and Lovers tells us most about the emotional source of his ideas," observed Diana Trilling. "The famous Lawrence theme of the struggle for sexual power--and he is sure that all the struggles of civilized life have their root in this primary contest--is the constantly elaborated statement of the fierce battle which tore Lawrence's family."Sons and Lovers is one of the landmark novels of the twentieth century. When it appeared in 1913, it was immediately recognized as the first great modern restatement of the oedipal drama, and it is now widely considered the major work of D. H. Lawrence's early period. This intensely autobiographical novel recounts the story of Paul Morel, a young artist growing to manhood in a British working-class family rife with conflict. The author's vivid evocation of the all-consuming nature of possessive love and sexual attraction makes this one of his most powerful novels.For the critic Kate Millett, "Sons and Lovers is a great novel because it has the ring of something written from deeply felt experience. The past remembered, it conveys more of Lawrence's own knowledge of life than anything else he wrote. His other novels appear somehow artificial beside it."
Drawing on both the physical setting and emotional atmosphere of his own childhood, Lawrence's evocation of a working-class life and of family conflicts is a literary masterpiece rich in insights into its author.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A remarkable examination of relationships
I attempted to read this book twice years ago. I failed to finish each time, finding the novel laborious. Now, married and with children, I have read through this book eagerly. It is perhaps a half-lifetime of experience that has allowed me to see this story in a different light. The examination of Paul Morel's emotionally incestuous relationship with his mother and the way it cripples his love for other women is insightful. My Barnes and Nobles version of this book (I put this review under this ... Read More
Rating: - A Portrait of An Artist as a Young Mama's Boy...
"Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother's love is not." James Joyce
"Mama's gonna check out all your girl friends for you... Mama won't let anyone dirty get through... Mama's gonna wait up till you get in... Mama will always find out where you've been... Mamma's gonna keep baby healthy and clean..." Lyrics from the song "Mother" by Roger Waters of "Pink Floyd"
This rather abstract, deeply affecting autobiographical novel by D.H. Lawrence ... Read More
Rating:  - Weak Characters
Gertrude Morel thought at first that she was getting into a good marriage. Walter Morel seemed happy and successful and was not a drinker. She thought he would make a good husband and a good father to their children. It was only after they were married for awhile that she found that he spent much of his time drunk and didn't own any of the property he'd told her he owned. A seed of resentment was planted.
Once their children, especially two sons, William and Paul, were born, Gertrude ... Read More
Rating: - Sons and Lovers
This book didn't seem to have the normal climactic format that I had expected, which is perhaps why it is considered a piece of literature and not popular fiction. The book as a whole read rather flatly, without much action or drama, a fact lending itself to its rather autobiographical nature. It was nonetheless, very beautifully written. The book seemed more poetic in composition and most certainly more emotionally intense than perhaps would be expected. In is in fact the poetic sentiments and composition ... Read More
Rating: - Pretty Good, Def. A Classic
I enjoy reading the works of D.H. Lawrence. I believe no other author of his time explored the complexities of human sexuality, behavior, intimacy, and depth as poignantly as him. By far I loved Lady Chatterley's Lover, his most famous and controversial novel. SONS AND LOVERS is the second Lawrence book I've read. I can't really say if I truly liked the book or not. I believe that what this book explores is deeply interesting and even haunting, seeing how controlling and possessive a mother could be on her ... Read More
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