Review: Lady Chatterly’s Lover
I had read Lady Chatterly before, but I went back to it because Bukowski spoke so glowingly about D. H. Lawrence in Ham on Rye. I see some of what Bukowski sees.
I couldn’t really come to Lady Chatterly without its reputation looming. It has both a reputation as an explicit story and as a literary work. By modern standards, it is not terribly salacious, but Lawrence does talk frankly about sex and the people who have it. And I think he does have meaningful insights to share, but there is a lot to say. And I have learned to be skeptical of narratives about women’s lives written by men.
I hope that Lawrence doesn’t believe he’s written the last word on intimate relationships, though sometimes it sounds like he might. A lot of the book is anchored in the time and place, though I think a fair amount of his observations are fundamental. I also think the universe of people in love is larger than he considers. All together, I find the book easy to criticize, but hard to dismiss.
Recommended.