ABSTRACT
The notoriety surrounding this one book has distorted Lawrence’s reputation, but also served to subject the literary use of “foul language” to legal scrutiny. It has a unique history, being published privately, suppressed, pirated, expurgated, republished, the issue of a groundbreaking trial, and finally rehabilitated. It was adjudged “obscene” under the broad definition applying at the time: “obscenity” (technically “obscene libel” or “matter tending to deprave or corrupt”) was usually interpreted as the explicit depiction of sex and the use of “dirty” or taboo words. In the decades after Lawrence’s death it became the principal text around which the legal definition of obscenity was challenged. Its critical history shows remarkable oscillations in interpretation and evaluation.
