Son and Lover

Author: Lawrence
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Features: People often regard Sons and Lovers as a novel with autobiographical elements because its content draws from Lawrence's early life. The book embodies three of Lawrence's main ideas: first, a lament and protest against the pollution of the natural environment caused by industrial development; second, a strong sense of inferiority regarding social status, with a determination to break free from the shackles of his own class; third, distress over the inability to properly address the contradictions between marriage and sexuality. The fictional mining town of Bessington is located at the border of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Since the industrial development in the 19th century led to large-scale exploitation of workers by capitalists, the mining village has seen an increasing number of miners, resulting in the construction of many residential areas. Although the houses are sturdy and have small gardens, the backyards are often messy and filled with garbage. The latter half of the novel revolves around the conflicts among the four main characters: Paul, his mother, Miriam, and Clara. Paul, a shy and unsociable teenager, accidentally meets the Lowes family and surprisingly gets along with them, frequently visiting for chats, working in the fields with their boys, and teaching their daughter Miriam French. Miriam is naturally timid, influenced by her mother's religious upbringing, and, yearning for pure spiritual love. One obvious feature of the writing technique in this book is the author's particular focus on and frequent depiction of natural scenery, especially birds and flowers. This is because Lawrence considers the description of natural scenery an important method for narrating the relationship between humans and nature, so he pays great attention to it without hesitation. Upon careful reading, we can see that some passages in the book are quite successful, blending scenery and emotion, and playing a supplementary role in characterizing the psychology of the characters. Such descriptions are abundant throughout the book, too numerous to list. Some are like tranquil pastoral poems, while others resemble simple landscape paintings, leaving a lasting impression. However, the book is not without flaws. Some characterizations are inconsistent, and the psychological changes of Walter Morel, a miner, are not convincing. The structure of the novel is also unbalanced. This is because Lawrence did not follow the conventional methods of the great predecessors of the 19th century but instead took a unique path, resulting in a plot that is unclear and uneven in pacing. The story is told in a straightforward manner, lacking a climax, and although it has some coherence, there is too much repetition, and the language is not concise. Nevertheless, the flaws do not diminish the book's merits. It remains an important work in modern British literature in both thought and art. When published in 1913, no writer's work could rival it in either Britain or America.