Sons and Lovers

Discuss "Sons and Lovers" as an autobigraphical novel.

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Sons and Lovers is certainly autobiographical. Although Lawrence's childhood home in the coal-mining town of Eastwood was changed, Walter Morel's character was modeled on Lawrence's hard-drinking, irresponsible collier father, Arthur. His mother Lydia became Gertrude Morel, an intellectually stifled, unhappy mother who lived through her sons. The death of Lawrence's older brothers led to Lydia's inconsolable grief and obsession with Lawrence is historical..... only the names have been changed.

Jessie Chambers was based on Lawrence's close friend, Miriam Leiver, who his mother and family did, in fact, disapprove of. Lawrence's future wife, Frieda von Richtofen Weekly, also appears, as she provided the inspiration for Clara Dawes, the older woman with whom Paul has an affair.

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Sons and Lovers