The First and Second Lady Chatterley Novels

Description

D. H. Lawrence wrote his last novel, Lady Chatterley's Lover, three times, and it is the third version that has become famous. The three versions are in fact three different novels, varying in length, significant episodes, and even some of the main characters. This is the first critical edition of the two early versions of the novel. The text is printed from manuscript source, including numerous deletions and variations from early printed editions. An introduction traces the genesis, publication and reception of the novel, and there are detailed explanatory notes.

"Cambridge University Press has achieved another major success in its definitive editions of the prolific work of D. H. Lawrence, with the publication of The First and Second Lady Chatterley Novels, edited by Dieter Mehl and Christa Jansohn...this handsome single volume will encourage Lawrence enthusiasts to ponder compelling comparisons between these early versions and perhaps to speculate further on the relevant development of Lawrence's life, art, and doctrine through all three examples of a project that became for him a consuming and palimpsestic saga. The Cambridge publication of the earlier versions no doubt offers an important resource..." English Literature in Transition 1880-1920