Sons and Lovers

Sons and Lovers is the third published novel of D.H. Lawrence, taken by many to be his earliest masterpiece. It tells the story of Paul Morel, a young man and a budding artist. This autobiographical novel is a brilliant evocation of life in a working class mining community. The original 1913 edition was heavily edited by Edward Garnett who removed eighty passages, roughly a tenth of the text. Despite this the novel is dedicated to Garnett. It was not until the 1992 Cambridge University Press edition that the missing text was restored. Lawrence rewrote the work four times until he was happy with it. Although before publication the work was usually called Paul Morel, Lawrence finally settled on Sons and Lovers. Just as this changed title makes the work less focused on a central character, many of the latter additions broadened the scope of the work thereby making the work less autobiographical. While some of the edits by Garnett were on the grounds of propriety or style, others would once more narrow the emphasis back upon Paul. In 1999, the Modern Library ranked Sons and Lovers ninth on a list of the 100 best novels in English of the 20th century. Plot summary Part I: The refined daughter of a "good old burgher family," Gertrude Coppard meets a rough-hewn miner at a Christmas dance and falls into a whirlwind romance. But soon after her marriage to Walter Morel, she realizes the difficulties of living off his meagre salary in a rented house. The couple fight and drift apart and Walter retreats to the pub after work each day. Gradually, Mrs. Morel's affections shift to her sons, beginning with the oldest, William. As a boy, William is so attached to his mother that he doesn't enjoy the fair without her. As he grows older, he defends her against his father's occasional violence. Eventually, he leaves home for a job in London, where he begins to rise up into the middle class. He is engaged, but he detests the girl's superficiality. He dies, and Mrs. Morel is heartbroken, but when Paul catches pneumonia, she rediscovers her love for her second son. Part II: Both repulsed by and drawn to his mother, Paul is afraid to leave her but wants to go out on his own, and needs to experience love. Gradually, he falls into a relationship with Miriam, a farm girl who attends his church. The two take long walks and have intellectual conversations about books, but Paul resists, in part because his mother looks down on her. At work, Paul meets Clara Dawes, who has separated from her husband, Baxter. Paul leaves Miriam behind as he grows more intimate with Clara, but even she cannot hold him, and he returns to his mother. When she dies soon after, he is alone. Lawrence summarised the plot in a letter to Edward Garnett on 12 November 1912: It follows this idea: a woman of character and refinement goes into the lower class, and has no satisfaction in her own life. She has had a passion for her husband, so her children are born of passion, and have heaps of vitality. But as her sons grow up she selects them as lovers — first the eldest, then the second. These sons are urged into life by their reciprocal love of their mother — urged on and on. But when they come to manhood, they can't love, because their mother is the strongest power in their lives, and holds them. It's rather like Goethe and his mother and Frau von Stein and Christiana — As soon as the young men come into contact with women, there's a split. William gives his sex to a fribble, and his mother holds his soul. But the split kills him, because he doesn't know where he is. The next son gets a woman who fights for his soul — fights his mother. The son loves his mother — all the sons hate and are jealous of the father. The battle goes on between the mother and the girl, with the son as object. The mother gradually proves stronger, because of the ties of blood. The son decides to leave his soul in his mother's hands, and, like his elder brother, go for passion. He gets passion. Then the split begins to tell again. But, almost unconsciously, the mother realises what is the matter, and begins to die. The son casts off his mistress, attends to his mother dying. He is left in the end naked of everything, with the drift towards death. This is the most autobiographical of all Lawrence's works as the author himself had a similar relationship with his own mother. The use of this oedipal theme is one of a number of Freudian concepts he used throughout his books. Like many of his works, Sons and Lovers was criticized when first published for obscenity and one publisher called it "the dirtiest book he had ever read" but compared to his later works it is quite constrained. Screen adaptations • The book was adapted into a film in 1960 by T.E.B. Clarke and Gavin Lambert. It was directed by Jack Cardiff. It stars Trevor Howard, Dean Stockwell, Wendy Hiller, Mary Ure, William Lucas and Donald Pleasence. This film won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Trevor Howard), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Mary Ure), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. • Sons and Lovers was made into a television miniseries in 1981. It starred Eileen Atkins, Tom Bell and Lynn Dearth. It was adapted by Trevor Griffiths and directed by Stuart Burge. • Another television adaption of Sons and Lovers was broadcast in the UK in 2003 °	TESTO PARALLELO INCASELLATO Scopri come è facile capire l'inglese se c'è a fianco la traduzione parallela incasellata!
	Sons and Lovers is the third published novel of D.H. Lawrence, taken by many to be his earliest masterpiece.	Figli e amanti è il terzo romanzo pubblicato da D.H Lawrence ed è considerato da molti il suo primo capolavoro.
	It tells the story of Paul Morel, a young man and a budding artist.	Racconta la storia di Paul Morel, un giovane artista alle prime armi.
	This autobiographical novel is a brilliant evocation of life in a working class mining community.	Questo romanzo autobiografico è una brillante descrizione della vita di una comunità di minatori.
	The original 1913 edition was heavily edited by Edward Garnett who removed eighty passages, roughly a tenth of the text.	L’edizione originale del 1913 fu pesantemente modificata da Edward Garnett che eliminò ottanta passi, circa un decimo dell'intero testo.
	Despite this the novel is dedicated to Garnett.	Nonostante ciò il romanzo è dedicato a Garnett.
	It was not until the 1992 Cambridge University Press edition that the missing text was restored.	Il testo mancante fu reintegrato solo a partire dall'edizione di Figli e amanti della Cambridge University Press nel 1992.
	Lawrence rewrote the work four times until he was happy with it.	Lawrence riscrisse la sua opera 4 volte prima di esserne soddisfatto.
	Although before publication the work was usually called Paul Morel, Lawrence finally settled on Sons and Lovers.	Sebbene prima della pubblicazione la sua opera venisse abitualmente chiamata Paul Morel, alla fine Lawrence si decise per il titolo Figli e amanti
	Just as this changed title makes the work less focused on a central character, many of the latter additions broadened the scope of the work thereby making the work less autobiographical.	Esattamente come il cambiamento del titolo rende l’opera meno incentrata su un unico protagonista, molte delle successive aggiunte ampliarono l’ambito dell’opera, rendendola quindi meno autobiografica.
	While some of the edits by Garnett were on the grounds of propriety or style, others would once more narrow the emphasis back upon Paul.	Mentre alcune delle modifiche operate da Garnett riguardavano la decenza o lo stile, altre avrebbero ancora una volta concentrato l’attenzione su Paul.
	In 1999, the Modern Library ranked Sons and Lovers ninth on a list of the 100 best novels in English of the 20th century.	Nel 1999 la Modern Library classificò Figli e amanti nono in un elenco dei 100 migliori romanzi in inglese del ventesimo secolo.
	Plot summary	Riassunto della trama
	Part I:	Prima parte
	The refined daughter of a "good old burgher family," Gertrude Coppard meets a rough-hewn miner at a Christmas dance and falls into a whirlwind romance.	Figlia ben educata di una buona vecchia famiglia borghese, Gertrude Coppard incontra ad un ballo di Natale un rozzo minatore e si innamora pazzamente di lui.
	But soon after her marriage to Walter Morel, she realizes the difficulties of living off his meagre salary in a rented house.	Ma subito dopo il matrimonio con Walter Morel, Gertrude si rende conto di come sia difficile sopravvivere con il suo misero stipendio in una casa affittata.
	The couple fight and drift apart and Walter retreats to the pub after work each day.	I due litigano e si allontanano l’uno dall’altro. Walter, ogni sera, dopo il lavoro ripiega al pub.
	Gradually, Mrs. Morel's affections shift to her sons, beginning with the oldest, William.	A poco a poco gli affetti della signora Morel si riversano sui figli maschi a partire dal più grande, William.
	As a boy, William is so attached to his mother that he doesn't enjoy the fair without her.	Da ragazzino William è talmente affezionato a sua madre che non si diverte neppure alle feste popolari senza di lei.
	As he grows older, he defends her against his father's occasional violence.	Diventato più grande, la difende dalla violenza occasionale del padre.
	Eventually, he leaves home for a job in London, where he begins to rise up into the middle class.	Infine si trasferisce a Londra per lavoro e lì comincia la sua ascesa nel ceto medio.
	He is engaged, but he detests the girl's superficiality.	Si fidanza ma detesta la superficialità della sua ragazza.
	He dies, and Mrs. Morel is heartbroken, but when Paul catches pneumonia, she rediscovers her love for her second son.	William muore e la signora Morel ha il cuore spezzato ma quando Paul si ammala di polmonite riscopre il suo amore per il secondo figlio.
	Part II:	Seconda parte
	Both repulsed by and drawn to his mother, Paul is afraid to leave her but wants to go out on his own, and needs to experience love.	Contemporaneamente respinto e attratto dalla madre, Paul ha paura di lasciarla ma vuole uscire per conto suo e ha bisogno di sperimentare l'amore in prima persona.
	Gradually, he falls into a relationship with Miriam, a farm girl who attends his church.	A poco a poco costruisce una relazione con Miriam, una ragazza che lavora in una fattoria e frequenta la sua chiesa.
	The two take long walks and have intellectual conversations about books, but Paul resists, in part because his mother looks down on her.	I due fanno lunghe passeggiate e conversazioni intellettuali sui libri che leggono ma Paul oppone resistenza, in parte perché sua madre non ha una grande considerazione di lei.
	At work, Paul meets Clara Dawes, who has separated from her husband, Baxter.	Al lavoro, Paul incontra Clara Dawes, che si è separata dal marito, Baxter.
	Paul leaves Miriam behind as he grows more intimate with Clara, but even she cannot hold him, and he returns to his mother.	Paul si lascia alle spalle la storia con Miriam man mano che diventa sempre più intimo con Clara, ma neanche lei riesce a trattenerlo e Paul torna da sua madre.
	When she dies soon after, he is alone.	Quando lei, subito dopo, muore, Paul rimane solo.
	Lawrence summarised the plot in a letter to Edward Garnett on 12 November 1912:	Lawrence sintetizzò la trama del romanzo in una lettera a Edward Garnett datata 12 novembre 1912.
	It follows this idea: a woman of character and refinement goes into the lower class, and has no satisfaction in her own life.	Il romanzo segue questa idea: una donna di carattere e modi raffinati entra nel mondo della classe operaia e non è soddisfatta della sua propria vita
	She has had a passion for her husband, so her children are born of passion, and have heaps of vitality.	Lei è stata innamorata di suo marito e i suoi figli sono frutto di questo amore e hanno una gran vitalità.
	But as her sons grow up she selects them as lovers — first the eldest, then the second.	Ma quando i figli diventano grandi li sceglie come amanti, prima il più grande e poi il secondo.
	These sons are urged into life by their reciprocal love of their mother — urged on and on.	Questi figli sono spronati alla vita dal reciproco amore per la madre - continuamente spronati.
	But when they come to manhood, they can't love, because their mother is the strongest power in their lives, and holds them.	Ma quando diventano adulti sono incapaci di amare perché la loro madre rappresenta il potere più forte nelle loro vite e li imprigiona.
	It's rather like Goethe and his mother and Frau von Stein and Christiana — As soon as the young men come into contact with women, there's a split.	È più o meno come Goethe e sua madre o Frau von Stein e Cristiana - Nel preciso momento in cui questi giovani entrano in contatto con le donne si verifica uno strappo.
	William gives his sex to a fribble, and his mother holds his soul.	William fa l'amore con una persona frivola e sua madre tiene in pugno la sua anima.
	But the split kills him, because he doesn't know where he is.	Ma lo strappo lo uccide perché non sa più chi egli sia davvero.
	The next son gets a woman who fights for his soul — fights his mother.	L’altro figlio incontra una donna che combatte per la sua anima ovvero combatte contro sua madre.
	The son loves his mother — all the sons hate and are jealous of the father.	Il figlio ama la madre – tutti i figli odiano e sono gelosi del padre.
	The battle goes on between the mother and the girl, with the son as object.	Lo scontro tra la madre e la ragazza continua e il figlio è l'oggetto della contesa.
	The mother gradually proves stronger, because of the ties of blood.	La madre piano piano ha la meglio per via dei legami di sangue.
	The son decides to leave his soul in his mother's hands, and, like his elder brother, go for passion.	Il figlio decide di lasciare la sua anima nelle mani di sua madre e, come suo fratello più grande, di scegliere la passione.
	He gets passion. Then the split begins to tell again.	E trova la passione, ma poi lo strappo comincia a farsi pesare.
	But, almost unconsciously, the mother realises what is the matter, and begins to die.	Ma, quasi inconsciamente, la madre si rende conto di qual è il problema e incomincia a morire.
	The son casts off his mistress, attends to his mother dying.	Il figlio butta fuori la sua amante e si prende cura della madre in fin di vita.
	He is left in the end naked of everything, with the drift towards death.	Alla fine rimane privo di ogni cosa, con una pulsione che lo spinge verso la morte.
	This is the most autobiographical of all Lawrence's works as the author himself had a similar relationship with his own mother.	Questa è l’opera di Lawrence più autobiografica dato che l’autore stesso aveva avuto una relazione simile con sua madre.
	The use of this oedipal theme is one of a number of Freudian concepts he used throughout his books.	L’impiego di questo tema edipico è un esempio dei tanti concetti freudiani da lui utilizzati nella sua produzione letteraria.
	Like many of his works, Sons and Lovers was criticized when first published for obscenity and one publisher called it "the dirtiest book he had ever read" but compared to his later works it is quite constrained.	Come molte delle sue opere, Figli e amanti, quando fu pubblicato per la prima volta, venne criticato per oscenità e un editore lo definì il libro più volgare che avesse mai letto. Paragonato però alle sue opere successive, risulta piuttosto contenuto.
	Screen adaptations	Adattamenti per il cinema e la televisione
	• The book was adapted into a film in 1960 by T.E.B. Clarke and Gavin Lambert.	• Nel 1960 il libro fu adattato per un film nel 1960 da T.E.B. Clark e Gavin Lambert.
	It was directed by Jack Cardiff.	Il film venne diretto da Jack Cardiff.
	It stars Trevor Howard, Dean Stockwell, Wendy Hiller, Mary Ure, William Lucas and Donald Pleasence.	Gli attori erano: Trevor Howard, Dean Stockwell, Wendy Hiller, Mary Ure, William Lucas e Donald Pleasence.
	This film won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Trevor Howard), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Mary Ure), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.	Il film vinse l'Oscar per la migliore fotografia e fu nominato nelle seguenti categorie: miglior attore protagonista (Trevor Howard), miglior attrice non protagonista (Mary Ure), migliore direzione artistica-scenografia, miglior film in bianco e nero, miglior regista, miglior film e migliore sceneggiatura, migliore sceneggiatura basata su materiale tratto da altra fonte.
	• Sons and Lovers was made into a television miniseries in 1981.	• Figli e amanti fu adattato per una miniserie televisiva nel 1981.
	It starred Eileen Atkins, Tom Bell and Lynn Dearth.	Gli attori erano: Eileen Atkins, Tom Bell and Lynn Dearth.
	It was adapted by Trevor Griffiths and directed by Stuart Burge.	L'adattamento venne realizzato da Trevor Griffiths con la regia di Stuart Burge.
	• Another television adaption of Sons and Lovers was broadcast in the UK in 2003	• Un altro adattamento televisivo di Figli e amanti fu trasmesso nel Regno Unito nel 2003.