Discover D. H. Lawrence’s early exploration of art, sexuality, and power in ‘A Modern Lover’ and read the complete story online for free.
Written in 1910 but considered too scandalous for publication until 1934, A Modern Lover is a crucial early work by D. H. Lawrence that introduces the themes that would define his career. This long short story (or novella) centers on Cyril Mersham, a young, ambitious, and egotistical artist who returns to his Midlands hometown after achieving success in London. He seeks out two women from his past: Muriel, a former lover now engaged to a solid, conventional man, and the intellectual and financially independent Viola. Mersham views both women not as individuals, but as muses and trophies, instruments for his own artistic and sexual fulfillment. The story becomes a tense psychological drama as he attempts to re-enter their lives, wielding his artistic persona as a weapon of seduction and control.
Lawrence uses Mersham to dissect the figure of the “modern” artist—a man who believes his creative genius places him above conventional morality. Mersham’s interactions with Muriel and Viola are power struggles, battles between his desire for dominance and the women’s attempts to assert their own identities and autonomy. The story is less about romance than about possession, exploring how artistic passion can morph into a form of emotional tyranny. Lawrence’s prose is already charged with the intense physicality and psychological insight of his later masterpieces, capturing the unspoken currents of desire, resentment, and will that flow between men and women.
A Modern Lover is fascinating both as a standalone work and as a blueprint for Lawrence’s future novels like Sons and Lovers and Women in Love. It showcases his early, fearless examination of the war between the sexes, the conflict between provincial life and artistic ambition, and the raw, often disturbing, forces of human sexuality. For readers interested in the development of modernist literature and its confrontation with Victorian social mores, this story is an essential and provocative read.
On this page, you can explore this foundational Lawrence text. We offer the complete story for online reading.
Book Info
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | A Modern Lover |
| Author | D. H. Lawrence |
| Year of Publication | 1934 (written c. 1910) |
| Genre | Literary Fiction, Psychological Drama |
| Language | English (Original) |
| Legal Status | Public Domain |
| Format | Online Reading |
Read A Modern Lover Online
Return to the Midlands with a restless artist. Begin this tense psychological drama by exploring the first chapters interactively below.
This preview introduces Cyril Mersham and the world he returns to, but the full, charged confrontation between his artistic ego and the wills of the two women is available in the complete text for our subscribers.
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About A Modern Lover
The story’s power lies in its unsentimental, almost clinical, examination of a certain type of masculine consciousness. Lawrence refuses to romanticize his artist protagonist, instead exposing his vulnerabilities and cruelties.
Cyril Mersham: The Artist as Predator
Mersham is a classic Lawrence study in male ego. He believes his sensitivity and talent grant him special privileges. He views Muriel and Viola as sources of inspiration—“fuel” for his art—and is frustrated when they prove to have their own desires and lives. His modernity lies in his rejection of traditional courtship, but his alternative is a selfish and exploitative idealism.
The Two Women: Contrasting Visions of Freedom
- Muriel: Represents the conventional path Mersham has rejected. Her engagement symbolizes domestic security and social respectability. Mersham sees her as a soul trapped, but Lawrence allows her character the dignity of her own choice, however limited it may seem.
- Viola: The “New Woman,” financially independent and intellectually engaged. She represents a more challenging potential partner for Mersham, one who might rival him. Her resistance to his advances is a battle for psychological equality.
Themes of Art and Life
Lawrence questions whether art that consumes life is truly valid. Mersham wants to use his experiences with women for his work, to translate living emotion into static art. The story implicitly criticizes this vampiric approach, suggesting it stunts the artist’s own humanity and denies the reality of the people around him.
The Midlands Setting
The gritty, industrial Midlands landscape is a character in itself, as it would be in Lawrence’s later fiction. It represents the world Mersham has escaped but is still tethered to—a world of physical labor and emotional repression that both repels and nourishes him. It grounds the story’s psychological flights in a concrete, tangible reality.
Why Read A Modern Lover Today?
The story remains sharply relevant in its exploration of toxic creativity and the “artistic license” used to justify poor behavior. It is a prescient study of the manipulative, narcissistic personality. Furthermore, it is a vital historical document in the history of literary censorship, showcasing the themes that would make Lawrence one of the most controversial and influential writers of his century.
For students of literature, it is a masterclass in the development of theme and style. Lawrence’s ability to render the subtle dynamics of power in a conversation or a glance is already fully formed. To read A Modern Lover is to witness a great writer finding his voice and using it to say dangerous, necessary things.
FAQ
Can I read A Modern Lover for free?
Yes, you can read the beginning for free via our interactive preview. Access to the complete story requires a subscription.
Why was it banned/published late?
Magazine editors in 1910-1912 found its frank treatment of sexuality and its cynical portrayal of an artist’s motives to be too shocking and immoral for publication. It didn’t see print until after Lawrence’s death.
Is this related to Lady Chatterley’s Lover?
Thematically, yes. Both explore class, sexuality, and relationships outside social norms. A Modern Lover is an earlier, less polished, but equally intense treatment of these Lawrence obsessions.
What is the ending’s significance?
Without giving it away, the ending is ambiguous and anti-romantic. It emphasizes loneliness and the failure of connection, a signature Lawrence conclusion that feels more modern and truthful than a tidy resolution.
Can I read it on my phone?
Yes. The story’s length and intense focus make it ideal for immersive reading on a smartphone or tablet.