Lawrence's third novel is the most autobiographical, tracing the relationship between Paul Morel and his mother with an intensity that would later be called Oedipal. The Nottinghamshire mining community is rendered with documentary precision; the emotional life with overwhelming force. Mrs. Morel's grip on her son destroys his relationships with other women; his love for her cannot find any acceptable form. Lawrence wrote it as his own mother was dying. The book made his reputation and established the themes he would pursue for the rest of his life.