Sons and Lovers Annotated

Initially titled 'Paul Morel', Sons and Lovers, is D. H. Lawrence's third novel. Many of the details of the novel's plot are based on Lawrence's own life. The story recounts the coming of age of Paul Morel, the second son of Gertrude Morel and her hard-drinking, working-class husband, Walter Morel, who made his living as a miner. As Mrs. Morel tries to find meaning in her life and emotional fulfillment through her bond with Paul, Paul seeks to break free of his mother through developing relationships with other women. The novel was controversial when it was first published because of the frank way it addressing sex and its obvious oedipal overtones.