Lady Chatterley's Lover Readalong Post 2:

"All hopes of eternity and all gain from the past he would have given to have her there, to be wrapped warm with him in one blanket, and sleep, only sleep. It seemed the sleep with the woman in his arms was the only necessity."

Welcome to post 2 of the readalong of D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover! We posted a couple of weeks ago about the first half of Lawrence's highly controversial novel. Here, we'll wrap things up a bit!

After the first half, I was curious as to where Lawrence was headed. Lady Chatterley had begun her scandalous affair with a man "below her station," and I was curious to see where Lawrence was headed with this and what the final result would be.

Lady Chatterley continues her affair, and the reader gets to be in on every moment of the scandal. She sneaks out of the house to meet him in the woods. She even escapes for a night and stays with him in his household! They have conversations about their relationship-its impropriety, her unhappiness in her "marriage," and the struggles he is facing with his own estranged wife.

It is a convoluted mess, but Lawrence's writing style truly made it come alive for me. He is a great writer with some wonderful descriptive passages. It was the same kind of writing that encouraged me to continue Sons and Lovers last winter when I hated the story.

But I will say this-I felt he was shoving a message at me repeatedly and by the time I closed the novel, I was a little sick of what he was teaching me. It is clear from the beginning that Lawrence is exploring the importance of a physical relationship in a marriage. That there must be some level of intimacy and sharing for a relationship to work. The reason Lady Chatterley continues with the affair is that she lacks that in her relationship with her husband (who is paralyzed and in a wheelchair).

And while her husband had the conversation with her early on in the novel that if she wants a child, it would be okay for her to sleep with another man, you can tell that he truly isn't okay with that (and who would be?). He becomes bitter and angry, as I believe anyone would be.

It is through all this misery and despair that Lady Chatterley has her affair. She finds a man who can be with her emotionally and physically, which is what she needs. I get the "point" of the novel and what theme Lawrence was exploring.

It should be fairly obvious why the book has been controversial since it was written. In addition to the affair, there is also the fact that it exists between a man of a lower class and well, Lady Chatterley. When a couple other characters determine who is the lover, they react in an angry fashion. How dare she have an affair with someone so inferior?

The other big issue, and the reason why the book is constantly challenged, is the language. I've read romance novels before and haven't really been shocked. But this book shocked me. The fact is, Lawrence reels you in with his writing-it is so beautiful and descriptive-and then, BAM. Sex scene. And it isn't that he is overly graphic, it is just that you don't expect it. You don't expect to see f*** and c*** in a classic of all things. I think it borders that line of vulgarity simply because you don't see it coming.

I told a girl at work that it was like reading a very old and dirty piece of erotica, but so so beautifully written, with a message and description that you couldn't help but love it.

And when I closed it, I did love it in a way. I liked the fact that it was in my face, pushing issues and ideas to the surface that I don't really think about. I like that it made me uncomfortable as it explored the connection between sexual and emotional relationships. It made me think. I like books that challenge me and give me things to think about. I like that it opened up a conversation with Matt about his thoughts on the ideas Lawrence presented.

It has also made me curious about Lawrence's other writing, which I was no so excited about after my feelings on Sons and Lovers. This was just another reminder that I cannot judge an author by one book, and that I must give authors a chance to woo me with other writing.

So what did you think of the book? Was it as scandalous as you heard it would be? If you completed your post on the second half of the readalong, please leave a link so I can link it below!

Lady Chatterley's Lover Readalong Post 1:

"Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work. There is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen."

Welcome to post 1 of 2 for the readalong of Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence hosted here at A Literary Odyssey. This is a title I have been anxious to read, after hearing so many interesting reactions to the scandalous story.

Before continuing on, I want to apologize for this post being up late. I am recovering from being sick and well, I slept most of the day. :) Sometimes, you just need your sleep.

Anyway, onward to the book discussion!

Like I said, I was excited and anxious to dive into this title. I have only had on previous experience with Lawrence, and that was with Sons and Lovers. While I enjoyed Lawrence's writing style, I really couldn't stand the story. I read it last winter and it took me quite some time to get through it.

This title, on the other hand, seems to be more famous than the other, and much more scandalous. When it was first released, there was a lot of outcry against the blatant sexual nature. Copies were confiscated and destroyed. When it was finally released and protected, it shocked many readers.

Obviously, going into reading this one, I was looking forward to seeing what about this title was so controversial and comparing it to some of the things that we might consider scandalous today.

Again, I was drawn into the beauty of Lawrence's writing. I find his style easy to read and comforting. He doesn't cover up his meaning with a lot of bells and whistles, if you know what I mean. But from the beginning, the novel explodes around the concept of sexual relationships between men and women. Lawrence certainly points out the differences in how men and women view sex, and its impact on the relationship.

Connie, our main character, is married to Clifford. When they first married, he was home on leave from the war, but when he went back, he was injured and has lost all feeling from the waist down. Obviously they have to have a different, less physical, relationship as man and wife. But here is where we can see that the two are clearly friends. Connie takes care of her husband, and she seems willing to do anything to make him happy.

She gradually begins to wilt from lack of a physical connection. Her husband even has a conversation with her, urging her to find a man so she may have a child. So she begins to wander and eventually begins to find the sexual, physical relationship she seems to need. The novel is more about relationships than sex, but sex is still a major part of that. You can see that Lawrence is showing that sex, love, and a healthy relationship seem to go hand in hand. I won't argue either way, because honestly, I don't want to go there.

I will say I was surprised at how often sex was brought up in the novel between characters. It reminded me of being in high school and overhearing teenage boys-know what I mean? That silly fascination with a scandalous and outlawed act? But it is talked about, and sometimes in terms that made me squirm. I will say that it wasn't graphic or overdone. I have read worse, and I am sure you have too. But it is CLEAR why the novel has been controversial since the time it was written. The characters have sex. It is talked about. There are controversial words to describe the act. Going into this, know that.

In any case, I am enjoying it. I like the play between the aspects of relationships and what is necessary to have happiness. I hope that those of you who are joining in are seeing those same things. :)

If you are participating in the readalong, please comment below with a link to your post so I can link it here. I will see you back here at the end of the month for the second post!

Lit Addicted Brit
Grace
Anne
Becca

Lady Chatterley's Lover April 2011 Readalong Sign-ups.

Welcome to the sign-up post for April's readalong of D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover hosted here at A Literary Odyssey! This post IS a little late in going up, but better late than never, right?

You voted and selected this title over Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser, so hopefully this is the one you voted for.

I have very little experience with Lawrence. I read Sons and Lovers by him last year and was left feeling a little..."meh" about the whole thing. However, I have heard that this title is far superior and I am looking forward to reading it.

If you aren't sure if this is something you are interested in, here is a synopsis taken from Goodreads.com:

"Perhaps the most famous of Lawrence's novels, the 1928 Lady Chatterley's Lover is no longer distinguished for the once shockingly explicit treatment of its subject matter--the adulterous affair between a sexually unfulfilled upper-class married woman and the gamekeeper who works for the estate owned by her husband. Now that we're used to reading about sex, and seeing it in the movies, it's apparent that the novel is memorable for better reasons: namely, Lawrence's masterful and lyrical writing, and a story that takes us bodily into the world of its characters."

It certainly sounds interesting, doesn't it?

I have organized this readalong into two posts. Each post will cover half of the book and will take place on the following two days:

• Post 1 will be posted on April 15: Post 1 will cover the first half of the novel (the first ten chapters-in my edition it is 146 pages)
• Post 2 will be posted on April 30: post 2 will cover the second half of the novel (chapter eleven to the end-in my edition it is just over 150 pages)

I do hope you'll consider joining in on this! The length is significantly shorter than some of the other readalongs, so maybe that will entice you. :)

If you want in, please comment and leave me a link to your blog so I can link you here (that way we can all cheer you on!). Keep in mind that all participants of my readalongs who complete the readalong are getting something special (more on that when you finish one!), so sign up if you're interested!

I only require my participants to make their post and link it here. You don't have to comment on other participants' posts, but of course, that is always encouraged.

Please spread the word around so that someone (hopefully YOU) might decide to join me. :)

Participants:

Falaise
Peppermint Ph.D.
laura
Bex
Lit Addicted Brit