D. H. Lawrence and Sexuality: Reassessing the Novels

As a writer of fiction, D. H. Lawrence spent his career maneuvering between heterosexual and homosexual preferences. In order to make a living, he needed to use mainstream publishers. They encouraged his bold work but only if he censored it. What especially interested Lawrence were the differences between male and female orgasm-not just the mechanics but their meaning. Over his career (1910-1930) his views on orgasm evolved from simple release, to ambivalent forms of lust, to a challenging separation of responses: unfathomable silence for males and articulate expression for females. The sexes are privileged differently, and the categorical separation that Lawrence discovers is a revelation. This essay analyzes five of his most famous novels, from Sons and Lovers to Lady Chatterley's Lover, and, based on revisions in his texts, reaches conclusions that differ from those most readers have held. In revising, Lawrence came to reshape his characters' responses into complex, often-coded narratives.