D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover

Michael Squires (Virginia Tech)
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Lady Chatterley’s Lover

is one of the most remarkable books of the twentieth century. Published in 1928, D. H. Lawrence’s last novel captures a moment in history when the Jazz Age celebrated hedonistic pleasure at the same time that, in Lawrence’s native England, the friction of owners and workers erupted as a general strike in 1926. These pressures – of unbridled pleasure caught in a vise of capitalistic conflict – have helped to make Lawrence’s portrait of the age remarkably insightful and prescient.

By the time Lawrence began work on the novel, his tuberculosis had advanced so far that writing demanded a huge effort1. It will amaze most readers that he wrote the entire novel three times by hand; all three manuscripts are held today at the University of Texas. Lawrence wrote

2384 words

Citation: Squires, Michael. "Lady Chatterley's Lover". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 October 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4167, accessed 26 November 2024.]

4167 Lady Chatterley's Lover 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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