Showing results by author "D. H. Lawrence" in All Categories

Sons and Lovers, Lawrence's third published novel, was written by the author at the height of his literary powers. The story of class differences (the relationship between a middle-class woman and a miner) in the tough world of coal mining brought a refreshing realism to literature. It remains a challenging text and is studied widely. It is particularly effective on audiobook in the hands of Nottinghamshire reader Paul Slack.

Flutist Aaron Sisson navigates the tumultuous aftermath of WWI, searching for solace amidst bar-room conversations, alcohol, and fleeting connections with women. Disillusioned by the conventionality of a mining executives family, he abandons his wife and children in pursuit of freedom on the open road. During a chance encounter at an opera performance, he finds himself once again entangled with the family, where conversations of love and war leave everyone unfulfilled. Over dinner with one of the women, Aaron confesses his apathy towards life, yearning only for solitude. As he drifts through ...

In the aftermath of World War I, Connie Chatterley grapples with an unfulfilling marriage, yearning for passion and connection. Her life takes a daring turn as she embarks on a forbidden affair with Oliver Mellors, her gamekeeper, challenging societal norms and exploring the depths of desire. Content warning This book contains explicit language. (Summary by Scarbo)

Sons and Lovers, D. H. Lawrence's first major novel, was also the first in the English language to explore ordinary working-class life from the inside. No writer before or since has written so well about the intimacies enforced by a tightly knit mining community and by a family where feelings are never hidden for long. When the marriage between Walter Morel and his sensitive, high-minded wife begins to break down, the bitterness of their frustration seeps into their children's lives.

Set in the rural midlands of England, The Rainbow revolves around three generations of Brangwens, a family deeply involved with the land and noted for their strength and vigour. When Tom Brangwen marries a Polish widow, Lydia Lensky, and adopts her daughter Anna as his own, he is unprepared for the conflict and passion that erupts between them. Their stories continue in Women in Love.

In Odour of Chrysanthemums D.H. Lawrence explores the concept of human isolation and the nature of love and relationships. This is the story of Elizabeth, a young wife and mother waiting for her alcoholic husband to return home from what she assumes is another night of drinking...

Lawrence is at his best in this story, taken from the scenes of his childhood and based on characters he knew intimately. The main themes of the story are the class system that dominated society at the time and the pressures put on the young lovers who have to overcome it, and the position of women in society who have nothing to offer but their bodies. For the sake of security and position, one daughter makes a loveless marriage whilst the other daughter gives all that up for love.

In "The Prussian Officer", there is an anti-militarism theme, unpopular as the nation drew near to war, and an examination of latent homosexuality as the officer in the story struggles with his feelings for his orderly. The young soldier is driven beyond his breaking point, but finds a kind of redemption in his final return to natural surroundings and, symbolically, he finds equality in death with his tormentor as they are put side by side in the mortuary.

"The Thorn in the Flesh" was written by D.H. Lawrence in 1914. The story can be listened to in tandem with "The Prussian Officer", which was written in the same year and has a similar setting and theme. In this story, the young soldier fights against his own shortcomings as a soldier and as a man. He flees the scene of his crime into the arms of his lover, where he finds solace and comfort, but he cannot escape the inevitable military machine that Lawrence hated.

Sons and Lovers is widely considered by critics and readers alike as D.H. Lawrence’s masterpiece and a classic interpretation of the Oedipal complex. Surely one of the greatest autobiographical novels ever written, it tells the story of Paul Morel, a sensitive artist with a far stronger attachment to his mother than his working-class, alcoholic father. Searching for love and human connection, Paul is torn between two very different women, but neither of them measures up to his mother.

Goose Fair was written by D H Lawrence in 1910. Lawrence sets his story against the backdrop of the industrial troubles caused by the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. A young woman is torn between her need for a lover and her contempt for what she perceives to be his dishonesty in the burning down of a mill. Is all love a compromise between the ideal and the reality of life?

A Fragment of Stained Glass was written by D H Lawrence in 1911. Lawrence relates a story, supposedly from the Middle Ages, which tells of the possible triumph of love and the human spirit over the forces of religion, superstition, and social injustice.

A fascinating collection of tales from some of Great Britain's finest classic authors.

Power, desire, and violence collide in The Prussian Officer, a haunting exploration of the human psyche by D.H. Lawrence. This novella peels back the façade of authority to reveal the seething passions and suppressed emotions lurking beneath. With prose that strikes like a thunderclap, Lawrence immerses the reader in a world where rigid discipline clashes with primal instincts, and the cost of obedience is measured in human suffering. In this gripping narrative, Lawrence examines the tension between the oppressor and the oppressed, unraveling the fragile balance between control and rebellion.

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first...

A powerful and engrossing tale of extremes and extremists, D. H. Lawrence's Women in Love follows the passionate relationships of two sisters, Gudrun and Ursula Brangwen, with their respective lovers, the ominous Gerald Crich and the charismatic but fragile Rupert Birkin.

In a poignant tale reminiscent of Brief Encounter intertwined with the tragic love of Tristan und Isolde, Trespasser unfolds on the enchanting Isle of Wight beneath a sky alive with stars. Here, Siegmund makes a fateful choice, sacrificing his family life for a fleeting moment of transcendent passion. His lover, the resilient Helena, possesses the strength to return to the mundane reality of suburban life. Meanwhile, redemption arrives, albeit in a bittersweet form, for his abandoned wife, Beatrice. As the story unfolds, Siegmund finds himself overshadowed by the formidable women around him, ...

Lawrences debut novel transports readers to the fictional town of Nethermere, inspired by real-life Eastwood in Nottinghamshire. The story unfolds through the eyes of Cyril Beardsall, exploring the intricate dynamics of his sister Letties relationships with two suitors the ruggedly handsome George and the refined, almost delicate Leslie. Although Lettie ultimately marries Leslie, her heart yearns for George, who himself weds the conventional Meg. Both unions spiral into discontent, set against the backdrop of the vividly described English midlands, where the tension between pastoral beauty and...

Penguin Classics presents D. H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, adapted for audio and available as a digital download as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by Paul Copley. '"She was a brazen hussy." "She wasn't. - And she was pretty, wasn't she?" "I didn't look ... And tell your girls...

It is hay-making time on the Wookey farm. Two brothers are building the haystack, but thinking about other things – about young women, and love. There are angry words, and then a fight between the brothers. But the work goes on, visitors come and go, and the long hot summer day slowly turns to evening. Then the sun goes down, covering the world with a carpet of darkness. From the hedges around the hayfield comes the rich, sweet smell of wild flowers, and the hay will make a fine, soft bed.