Lawrence started his first novel in 1906, rewriting it three times, before it was published in 1911. The early versions had the working title of Laetitia. Set in the Eastwood area of his youth, Lawrence’s first novel is narrated in the first person by the somewhat weak character named Cyril Beardsall. It involves such typical Lawerence themes as the damage associated with mismatched marriages and the border country between town and country. A misanthropic gamekeeper makes an appearance, in some ways the prototype of Mellors in Lawrence’s last novel, Lady Chatterley’s Lover. The book includes some notable description of nature and the impact of industrialisation on the countryside and the town.