Introduction & Notes by Dr Howard J Booth University of Kent at Canterbury When you have experienced Sons & Lovers you have lived through the agonies of the young Lawrence striving to win free from his old life' Richard Aldington This novel is Lawrence's semi-autobiographical masterpiece in which he explores emotional conflicts through the protagonist Paul Morel & his suffocating relationships with a demanding mother & two very different lovers Lawrence's novels are perhaps the most powerful exploration in the genre in English of family class sexuality & relationships in youth & early adulthood