The novel, Sons and Lovers (1913), is largely autobiographical。 Richard Aldington explains the semi-autobiographical nature of his masterpiece: “When you have experienced Sons and Lovers you have lived through the agonies of the young Lawrence striving to win free from his old life。” It is also the first of Lawrence’s important novels。 Micheal H。 Black, in his book D。 H。 Lawrence: Sons and Lovers published by New York: Cambridge University Press, says, “The two next novels, The Rainbow and Women in Love, are progressions from Sons and Lovers。” Abroad with Frieda, Lawrence finished this novel at which he had been working off and on for years。 Lawrence persisted in exploring the most fundamental aspect of human life -- the relationship between man and woman, including sexual love, a taboo of his time, which surmounted his contemporaries。 This novel not only surpassed his time, but also has its own effect on the relations of current society。 Thus it enjoys a high prestige and has been reprinted for many times and translated into many languages。 This novel is set in a coal-mining district 。 At that time there occurred the Industrial Revolution。 The consequences of this revolution changed irrevocably human labor, consumption, family structure, social structure, and even the very soul and thoughts of the inpidual。 D。 H。 Lawrence was dissatisfied with the Western industrial civilization for its cut-throat competitiveness and its encouragement to war, for its mechanical progress and diminution of inpidual creativeness, and for its intellectualism that dried up the springs of human vitality。 He held the opinion that a rearrangement of personal relationships can save the decaying civilization through, especially a rearrangement of the relationship between men and women。 But this cannot be a correct way in solving social problem。 However, Sons and Lovers proves Lawrence’s idea on love。 In the eyes of Lawrence, the balance between sexuality and spiritual communication plays a key role in healthy hetero-sexual relationship。 Lack of either aspect will result in the damage of love。 The story mainly creates six main characters: Mr。 and Mrs。 Morel, their sons William and Paul, Paul’s lovers Miriam and Clara。 Walter Morel, a collier, had been a handsome, dashing young man when Gertrude had married him。 But after few years of marriage he proved to be an irresponsible breadwinner and drunkard, and his wife hated him for what he had once meant to her and for what he now was。 Mentally isolated, she pins her hopes on her children。 After the death of her elder son, she invests in Paul, her young son, all her hopes and passions。 But her all-possessive affection for her son becomes a hindrance to his independent development as a man。 The hero, Paul Morel, resembles Lawrence in family situation。 More sensitive than his brothers and sister, he was closer to Mrs。 Morel than any of the others。 At sixteen Paul went to visit some friends of Mrs。 Morel。 There he met a girl, Miriam Leivers, whose inner charm attracted him。 By the time Miriam and Paul had grown into their twenties, Paul realized that Miriam loved him deeply and that he loved her。 But because of the religion believe, Miriam always avoided the physical relationship。 And influenced by her, Paul could not bring himself to touch her。 Then through Miriam he met Clara Dawes, a beautiful woman who was separated from her husband。 For a long while Mrs。 Morel had been urging Paul to give up Miriam。 Meanwhile, Paul, feeling Miriam’s love egocentric and intolerable, turns from her to Clara。 He found in her an outlet for his unknown desires。 One day it was revealed that Mrs。 Morel had cancer and was beyond any help except that of morphine and then death。 Paul turned to Clara for comfort, but she failed to make him forget his misery。 After Mrs。 Morel died, Paul left Clara, because they could not stay in the house without Mrs。 Morel。 来,自,优.尔:论;文*网www.youerw.com +QQ752018766-