The basic plot line revolves around the powerful oedipal attachment developed by Paul Morel's clever, sensitive, frustrated mother, a coal miner's wife tied to a coarse, strong-willed, and occasionally brutal man. Ultimately it is the anti-oedipal story thread wound by Mrs. Morel's two younger rivals that rescues Paul, that and his mother's pathetic death. By contrast, Clara, for whom Paul must battle the brutal Dawes, defines Paul's sexual and emotional freedom without challenging the role of his mother. Paul's relationships are very tense and quite experimental. 3 pgs. Bibliography lists 1 source.
