Sons and Lovers as an Autobiographical Novel
sons and lovers by D. Lawrence as an autobiographical novel
the label, ‘autobiographical’ can safely be attributed to this superb specimen of fiction, bearing the mark of Lawrence’s genius. The most salient characteristic of the characters portrayed by Lawrence is according to Albert, “the resemblance they bear to their creator. In fact Sons and lovers is one of the most autobiographical of English novels. D.H. Lawrence is one of those great artists who write because of internal compulsion, and in this way seek relief for their inner problems by externalizing them in fiction. He had to endure great emotion stresses in youth and face many urgent personal problems. He was a tortured soul for full forty five years of himself and his writings are an expression of his inner suffering, frustrations and emotional complexes. They are all in the nature of personal revelations, some more, some less, but the autobiographical note runs through them all. The most striking feature of Lawrence’s characters is that they are projections of the novelist’s personalities, Paul morel in Sons and Lovers, is clearly a projection of him. It is a story of Midland miner’s son, Paul Morel, who is Lawrence himself; Walter morel and Mrs. Morel are the father and mother of Paul, Lawrence’s alter ego. The father is an unrefined miner and the mother with refinement and culture, “a superior woman.” The conflict between Mr. and Mrs. Morel and the reactions of children are all transcripts from life. Miriam is Jessie Chambers whom Lawrence met early in life, where he loved but with whom he failed to establish satisfactory relations, owing largely to the influence of his mother on him. His mother, too died of cancer like Mrs. Morel, the mother of Paul, and his brother Earnest Lawrence, too died early in life as William in the story.
However, facts of life-reality has undergone a press of imaginative selection and ordering and the whole experience has been reorganized and shaped for the purpose of
the label, ‘autobiographical’ can safely be attributed to this superb specimen of fiction, bearing the mark of Lawrence’s genius. The most salient characteristic of the characters portrayed by Lawrence is according to Albert, “the resemblance they bear to their creator. In fact Sons and lovers is one of the most autobiographical of English novels. D.H. Lawrence is one of those great artists who write because of internal compulsion, and in this way seek relief for their inner problems by externalizing them in fiction. He had to endure great emotion stresses in youth and face many urgent personal problems. He was a tortured soul for full forty five years of himself and his writings are an expression of his inner suffering, frustrations and emotional complexes. They are all in the nature of personal revelations, some more, some less, but the autobiographical note runs through them all. The most striking feature of Lawrence’s characters is that they are projections of the novelist’s personalities, Paul morel in Sons and Lovers, is clearly a projection of him. It is a story of Midland miner’s son, Paul Morel, who is Lawrence himself; Walter morel and Mrs. Morel are the father and mother of Paul, Lawrence’s alter ego. The father is an unrefined miner and the mother with refinement and culture, “a superior woman.” The conflict between Mr. and Mrs. Morel and the reactions of children are all transcripts from life. Miriam is Jessie Chambers whom Lawrence met early in life, where he loved but with whom he failed to establish satisfactory relations, owing largely to the influence of his mother on him. His mother, too died of cancer like Mrs. Morel, the mother of Paul, and his brother Earnest Lawrence, too died early in life as William in the story.
However, facts of life-reality has undergone a press of imaginative selection and ordering and the whole experience has been reorganized and shaped for the purpose of