NOTTINGHAM’S CULTURAL LEGACY: Dh Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover

With the recent release of Netflix’s adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover and a renewed interest in the public consciousness for this story, it is the perfect time to re-examine the impact that the original novel had on the literary world and how author D. H. Lawrence continues to be an integral part of Nottingham’s cultural legacy.

For a modern audience, Lady Chatterley’s Lover may seem like another commonplace erotic drama currently popular. However, upon its original release in 1929, D. H. Lawrence’s seminal work became the subject of scandal and censorship. The novel’s sexuality and adultery themes were not accepted subjects among a wide readership, and the book’s unedited original remained unpublished in many countries until the 1960s.

It is possibly most infamous for graphic descriptions of its central characters’ sex, the titular Lady Chatterley and her lover Oliver Mellors. These descriptions may read tamer than the erotism of Fifty Shades of Grey or Eyes Wide Shut, but Lawrence created their blueprint and a cultural touchstone for challenging social norms.

Arguably the censorship of Lady Chatterley’s Lover only added to its prominence. Would this story be as well known and critically acclaimed today if it were written in the vein of regency style, Austin-like forbidden romances? The authenticity of the characters’ sexual desires added a new layer to the love story that had not been present in popular British literature until that point. The novel’s dedication to modernism as its narrative device grants the reader a genuine insight into all facets of its characters.

Author D. H. Lawrence was not only a literary legend but arguably one of the most famous and influential Nottingham natives ever born. Described by E. M. Forster as “the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation”, Lawrence’s artistic contributions to the novel should not be understated. As an alumni of the University of Nottingham, he is perhaps one of the most notable students to ever attend the then University College Nottingham.

It is evident in Lawrence’s work that Nottingham held great meaning to him. Not only in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, but many of his works use Nottingham as their central location. Apart from Robin Hood and his Merry Men, Lawrence’s literary works may have produced the most identifiable characters to inhabit Nottingham. Residents of Nottinghamshire can be proud of the deep cultural legacy his stories have created for the streets and countryside of the county.

Perhaps it’s time for D. H. Lawrence and his Nottingham-based work to be celebrated more by the city and university. His novels’ global appeal and attention have cemented the literary history of the city and the county; thus it would be appreciated for this legacy to be showcased more. Whether this new Netflix adaptation fulfils the novel’s heights is for the viewer to judge. Though it is the case, the attention this adaptation will bring to the original novel and Lawrence will garner new and old interest in Nottingham and its literary legacy.

Matthew Fogarty