Sons and Lovers

Sons and Lovers is a 1913 novel by the English writer D. H. Lawrence. It is today regarded as a masterpiece by many critics and is often regarded as Lawrence's finest achievement.D. H. Lawrence’s largely autobiographical Sons and Lovers tells the story of Paul Morel a young artist growing into manhood in a British working-class community near the Nottingham coalfields. His mother Gertrude unhappily married to Paul’s hard-drinking father devotes all her energies to her son. They develop a powerful and passionate relationship but eventually tensions arise when Paul falls in love with a girl and seeks to escape his family ties. Torn between his desire for independence and his abiding attachment to his loving but overbearing mother Paul struggles to define himself sexually and emotionally through his relationships with two women—the innocent old-fashioned Miriam Leivers and the experienced provocatively modern Clara Dawes. Heralding Lawrence’s mature period Sons and Lovers vividly evokes the all-consuming nature of possessive love and sexual attraction. Lushly descriptive and deeply emotional it is rich in universal truths about human relationships.D. H. Lawrence’s finest achievement this semi-autobiographical masterpiece is placed ninth on the Modern Library’s list of 100 best novels of the 20th century.