Ann Arbor Classics Book Group discussed DH Lawrence’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” in mid-June. I am writing up some points now because this novel was so potent and powerful. Lawrence’s masterpiece is not just a sleazy romance novel; it has many strong socio-political elements pertaining to industrialization and class structure.

Briefly, the novel recounts the life of Connie, or Lady Chatterley. She is married to a stodgy intellectual, Clifford, who was rendered paraplegic very early in their marriage due to his involvement in the war. Clifford not only lost the use of his legs but also his pride. Connie becomes increasingly alienated from her husband and his lifestyle, first engaging in an affair with an upstart noveau-riche playwright, Michaelis. Michaelis is also isolated from the high circle, but still possesses the same characteristics of Connie’s bourgeois husband. Ultimately, Connie is attracted to the virile game keeper, Oliver Mellors. Mellors is a sharp contrast to Clifford, for his strength and simplicity. He even reverts into his mother Derbyshire dialect whenever he feels a noble is putting on airs in his presence. The two engage in a torrid love affair against all odds and class boundaries. This novel is about that affair and its outcomes.

This novel was met with high protest when it was first published; there was even a court case related to the book’s supposed immorality. The novel finally found great love in the '60s and has remained a staple in American literature until this day. Although some harsher critics still claim that the book is not really literature at all. Nonsense. I love a potent novel that isn’t afraid to drop a few f-bombs along the way- all the better!

Here are a few questions for discussion (please feel free to post comments in response to them):

1. Is Clifford a sympathetic character? Do we feel sorry for him for being confined to a wheel chair and for his wife having an affair? Is this inevitable?
2. Do we identify with Connie, her isolation and entrapment?
3. Is Mellors a likeable male figure? Is he right for Connie?
4. What are some of the ways that DH Lawrence explores Marxist themes both in the foreground and in the subtext of the novel?
5. In the scene where Clifford’s motorized wheel chair breaks down and after several failed attempts at restarting it, Clifford is forced to accept help from Mellors—what do we learn about the role of the machine in human society, according to Lawrence?
6. DH Lawrence gave interesting suggestions through the character of Mellors on how to overcome our dwindling and decadent postwar lifestyle, are some of these suggestions valid in today’s world?

More discussion questions can be found online, here.

Photo Caption: The book cover for the Wordsworth Classics edition of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" by DH Lawrence

Melissa LR Handa is the founder and organizer of Ann Arbor Classics Book Group, a group that meets twice monthly to discuss great works of literature.