Lady Chatterley's Lover (a Chinese authorized full translation that was only legalized in the 1960s, delayed by 30 years)

Author: Lawrence
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The story takes place in post-World War I England. Sir Clifford Chatterley, who returned from the battlefield, is paralyzed from the waist down due to war injuries and can only live in a wheelchair. He returns to his family's estate with his newly married wife, Constance. Young, beautiful, and kind-hearted, Constance knows that she is destined for a long, lonely, and ascetic life but still accepts her fate and willingly stays by her husband's side. One day, Constance goes to see the estate's gamekeeper, Millis, but accidentally glimpses his bare torso, stirring her emotions greatly. Millis is clearly also attracted to the elegant and gentle Constance. To preserve the family lineage, Clifford asks Constance to have a child for the family, but she refuses outright. At the Christmas party, the guests are indulging in revelry, while Constance sits alone, encouraged by her father and sister to cherish her youth and live her own life. With her sister Hilda's help, Clifford finally hires a widow, Mrs. Bertram, to attend to Constance. With some free time, Constance often walks in the woods and gradually develops feelings for Millis through their interactions. Days pass, and Constance becomes increasingly unable to tolerate the luxurious yet rigid and lifeless life in the Chatterley estate. She feels herself dying and longs for the outdoors and the vitality represented by Millis. The two are drawn to each other, and eventually, Constance falls into Millis's arms. They have sex repeatedly, as Lawrence meticulously describes in the novel—a complete, all-encompassing, and respectful physical and emotional experience between two healthy bodies. Their initial purely physical attraction gradually transforms into a collision of souls. Millis uses tenderness and passion to turn Constance into a truly complete woman, while Constance is surprised to discover that she deeply loves this rough but passionate man, and they become lovers of both body and spirit. When Constance secretly slips out of the estate at night to run to Millis, who is waiting for her, she has completely surrendered to this love. The scene where Constance and Millis run naked in the rain is unforgettable. Constance rushes outside, removes her robe, and her perfect, flawless body seems natural and harmonious in the lush forest. The two run and play like joyful sprites in the rain. Later, they adorn each other with flowers and stand bare before one another, like Adam and Eve returning to their primal state. Without the boundaries of clothing, the class barriers between them no longer exist. Constance becomes pregnant with Millis's child. While traveling, she confesses her story to Hilda, who disapproves of Constance's actions and begins to actively seek a noble father for the child, but Constance refuses. Constance realizes she cannot give up her longing for Millis and returns to the estate early, only to find that Millis has resigned under pressure and been beaten, sent to the mines to work. Their former cabin is no longer a paradise, and the two seem to be at their wit's end. Millis decides to leave England and start anew in Canada, leaving Constance with a choice. She asks Clifford for a divorce and tells him that the man she loves is the gamekeeper, Millis. Clifford, upon learning this, is like a trapped animal, screaming in fury: "Good heavens! You had relations with one of my servants!" Unlike the ending of the novel, Constance and Millis finally meet on the ship to Canada, their future bright and full of hope. Constance abandons her luxurious but lifeless life as a noblewoman and runs toward freedom and love. The first-class cabin sign that Millis crosses holds deep meaning, symbolizing how two people from different classes finally break through societal barriers and achieve rebirth.