Sons and Lovers

Sons and Lovers is a novel written by D. H. Lawrence and first published in 1913. It was highly criticized and controversial at the time due to the brutal realities and sexual scenes it depicted.

The book tells the life of Paul, who is chosen by his mother to be her closest confidant. She is unhappily married and with this type of relationship, Paul cannot have healthy relationships with other women. Paul will have an intellectual relationship with his childhood sweetheart, and a sexual relationship with a married woman. It will not be until his mother's death that he will be able to start living his own life.

In this strongly autobiographical book, D. H. Lawrence captures the damage caused by having an authoritarian mother, a disappointing father and the different women with whom he was committed throughout his life. This created an excessively attached relationship with his mother. The author explains that his mother told spiteful stories about his father to him and his brothers, which psychologically damaged the children.

Topics such as broken dreams, incestuous maternal love or repressed sexuality are covered in this book.