Lady Chatterley's Lover

This was a controversial choice for this month’s Book Club and sparked an animated discussion. It was generally agreed that Lady Chatterley’s awakening was inspired predominantly by a post-war setting, in which women were becoming increasingly independent. Throughout the novel, Connie promotes social equality and acts as a champion for the servant classes, in direct contrast to her husband, who believes that the class system is a necessity for a successful society. Her relationship with the gamekeeper is therefore representative of the female desire to break free of repression and their desire for self-expression.

Our discussion centred primarily around Lawrence’s choices in terms of symbolism and dialect within the novel. The film excerpts that we watched made effective use of such symbolism, such as the rearing black horse to epitomise the freedom Connie experiences through her relationship with Mellors.

It was also noted that Mellors’ crude, rustic dialogue reflected the raw, natural surroundings which is integral to the passion felt between the two characters, as well as highlighting the distinction between the classes. It was felt that there was a contradiction set up by Lawrence: on the one hand women aspired to be appreciated by men on an intellectual level. Clifford subscribes to this, although his discussions with her tend to be more didactic in tone. Mellors, on the other hand, engages with her intellect in a different way, challenging her beliefs and opinions. Indeed, Sophie Davies drew an insightful comparison with the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy who uses crude language in order to highlight the way in which women are often objectified by men. However, Connie, significantly, embraces the way in which Mellors appreciates her physical beauty and revels in the objectification of her physical form.

It was ultimately decided that the most intriguing character within the novel is that of Clifford’s nurse, who despises his weakness, yet seems to idolise his elevated social status. Equally, although she appears at times to condemn Connie’s behaviour, there is a definite sense that she understands her motives and decisions. It was therefore agreed that her character was by far the most complex one within the novel, and reflected, perhaps, the conflicting views that the novel would have provoked in contemporary readers.