Lady Chatterley’s Lover

by D. H. Lawrence

Lady Chatterley’s Lover: Mood 1 key example

Definition of Mood

The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:

The mood of Lady Chatterley's Lover is highly changeable, reflecting the rapidly evolving and tumultuous journeys its protagonists take. Initially, there's a prevailing sense of dissatisfaction and restlessness. Lawrence’s reader is introduced to Connie Chatterley's constrained existence in her golden cage at Wragby Hall. Her husband has changed so much after returning from war that she feels imprisoned in a life she had not planned. In the first few chapters, the reader feels sympathy for her and for the emotionally wounded Clifford, as well as unease at the building pressure of her needs. The episodes that describe Connie’s youth provide them with a perspective on her “aesthetically unusual upbringing” and explain her unconventional approach to sex and love. Until she meets Mellors, there are only brief moments of relief—like those she finds with Michaelis—from an unpleasant feeling of entrapment and enclosure.