Paul Morel

This is the first ever edition of the early version of Sons and Lovers, D. H. Lawrence's highly popular autobiographical novel. Amongst all the surviving early drafts of Lawrence's works this is the most different from the final version; as he rewrote, Lawrence discarded many episodes, some of them stories from his childhood not recorded anywhere else. It is less polished than Sons and Lovers, but it is full of powerful, spontaneous, dramatic writing: there is more humour and charm, more raw violence and nervous energy. This volume also contains remarkable documents written by Lawrence's girlfriend Jessie Chambers, the model for Miriam in Paul Morel and in Sons and Lovers, in which she gives Lawrence some hostile criticisms and writes out for him her own versions of some of his episodes. In addition there is a fragment of a novel about his mother's childhood, facsimiles of manuscript pages, maps, and scholarly notes and apparatus.

Born on September 11, 1885, in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, England, David Herbert Lawrence was the fourth child of a coal miner and a former schoolteacher. His upbringing in a working-class family deeply influenced his literary themes, particularly the tensions between industrialization and nature. Lawrence's early education and experiences in his hometown laid the foundation for his future works.In 1912, Lawrence met Frieda Weekley, with whom he eloped to Europe, marking the beginning of his extensive travels. This period saw the creation of some of his most significant novels, including Sons and Lovers (1913) and The Rainbow (1915), which explored complex human relationships and societal constraints. His candid portrayal of sexuality and critique of industrial society often led to controversy and censorship.Despite facing persecution and public misrepresentation, Lawrence continued to produce influential works across various genres. His final novel, Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928), was notorious for its explicit content and faced numerous legal challenges. Lawrence's relentless exploration of human emotions and social norms has solidified his legacy as a pivotal figure in modernist literature.

General editor's preface; Acknowledgements; Chronology; Cue-titles; Introduction; Paul Morel; Appendix 1. 'Matilda'; Appendix 2. Chapter plan; Appendix 3. Two versions of the start of MS3; Appendix 4. MS3 chapter 9 annotated by Jessie Chambers; Appendix 5. Jessie Chambers' manuscripts; Explanatory notes; Maps; Textual apparatus; Line-end hyphenation; Note on pounds, shillings and pence.