The Complete Novels of D.H. Lawrence 4 Book Set Women in Love, Lady Chatterley's Lover & more

The Complete Novels of D.H. Lawrence gathers four of D.H. Lawrence’s best-known novels in one set. The selection brings together works that were controversial on publication and later noted for their engagement with relationships, society and the pressures of modern life.

The accompanying text highlights Lawrence’s attention to emotional and sexual relationships, alongside themes of family and class, set within the wider cultural context of an industrialised world shaped by the First World War. It also outlines the publication history of one title, including private printings and the delayed release of an unexpurgated UK edition.

Included titles

• Women in Love
• The Rainbow
• Sons and Lovers
• Lady Chatterley's Lover

Key details

• Four-novel set by D.H. Lawrence
• Includes Women in Love, The Rainbow, Sons and Lovers and Lady Chatterley's Lover
• Lady Chatterley's Lover was first printed privately in Florence, Italy, with assistance from Pino Orioli
• A private edition of Lady Chatterley's Lover was issued by Inky Stephensen's Mandrake Press in 1929
• An unexpurgated edition of Lady Chatterley's Lover could not be published openly in the United Kingdom until 1960

Synopses

Women in Love

Described as Lawrence’s finest and most mature novel, it initially met with disgust and incomprehension. It follows the love affairs of two sisters, Ursula with Rupert and Gudrun with Gerald, and is framed as a response to a wider cultural crisis shaped by modern industrial “progress” and the carnage of the First World War.

The Rainbow

Spanning three generations of the Brangwen family of Nottinghamshire, the narrative runs from the 1840s to the early years of the twentieth century. Within this period, Lawrence examines the pressures that shape his characters’ lives, using religious symbolism in which the rainbow serves as a unifying motif.

Sons and Lovers

Presented as a semi-autobiographical masterpiece, the novel explores emotional conflict through the protagonist, Paul Morel. The source describes his suffocating relationships with a demanding mother and two very different lovers, and positions the book as an exploration of family, class, sexuality and relationships in youth and early adulthood.

Lady Chatterley's Lover

Described as one of the most subversive novels in English literature, this entry is accompanied by its publication history. The first edition was printed privately in Florence, Italy, and an unexpurgated edition could not be published openly in the United Kingdom until 1960, following earlier private editions.