How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
She felt a sudden, strange leap of sympathy for him, a leap mingled with compassion, and tinged with repulsion, amounting almost to love. (3.30)
Love is a many splendored thing… or it's a kitchen-sink blend of emotions, including some less-than-nice ones. Connie doesn't know whether to hate Michaelis or love him, so she decides to do both.
Quote #2
Love's another of those half-witted performances today. Fellows with swaying waists f***ing little jazz girls with small boy buttocks, like two collar studs. (4.78)
Tommy Dukes, the voice of modernity, can't think of anything nice to say about love, and especially not about jazz kids who pretend to be in love. It's all for show—and it's not even a very good show.
Quote #3
There was no mistake that the woman was in some way in love with him: whatever force we give to the word love. (9.35)
Mrs. Bolton has a bit of thing for Clifford, but it's not clear what she's after. She's clearly not into his body, so it's more like she's in love with her power over him. Passages like this are how we know to be suspicious of love—thanks for that heads up, D. H.
Quote #4
Yes, this was love, this ridiculous bouncing of the buttocks, and the wilting of the poor, insignificant, moist little penis. This was the divine love! After all, the moderns were right when they felt contempt for the performance; for it was a performance. (12.128)
Gee, this is a really sexy passage. No wonder Connie is depressed all the time, if this is what she thinks love is like. Luckily, she's found herself a real man now.
Quote #5
"I...I can't love you," she sobbed, suddenly feeling her heart breaking. "Canna ter? Well, dunna fret! There's no law says as tha's got to. Ta'e it for what it is." (12.134-35)
Mellors is pretty chill about the relationship, so it's not clear why Connie feels like she has to be in love with him at this point. Most likely, she's been corrupted by the modern world into thinking that she can't enjoy sex without love—without understanding that sex is love, or at least close enough.
Quote #6
All her body clung with tender love to the unknown man, and blindly to the wilting penis, as it so tenderly, frailly, unknowingly withdrew, after the fierce thrust of its potency. (12.148)
It's not even Connie who feels love right now—it's her body, almost as though it has a mind of its own (and we already know that Mellors's body has a mind of its own). Does love happen in the body rather than the mind?
Quote #7
She loved everything about love, except the sex.(14.99)
Here, Mellors is talking smack about his past love affairs. This one in particular is a slightly older woman who liked kissing and cuddling but not actually getting down. Mellors probably thinks she's a lesbian.
Quote #8
Complete intimacy! She supposed that meant revealing everything concerning yourself to the other person, and his revealing everything concerning himself. But that was a bore. And all that weary self-consciousness between a man and a woman! a disease!(17.3)
All that Oprah business about communication and intimacy—it's all wrong, at least according to Connie (and Lawrence). Instead of talking things out, couples should really just… have more sex.
Quote #9
At that moment he felt a sheer love for the woman. (18.43)
It's weird, but Mellors never does really commit to Connie, almost as though he's afraid to make any promises about how he's going to feel in the future. When he loves her, it's only ever for a moment or two. Not really the kind of emotion you'd want to plan a divorce around, if you ask us.
Quote #10
"But the little forked flame between me and you: there you are! That's what I abide by, and will abide by."(19.167)
The little forked flame isn't love, exactly; it's a kind of sensual tenderness that Lawrence seems to think is even better than love. Love is too intellectual. It's a confusing, messed up emotion that you can feel for your parents, your colonel, or your pet parrot. Tenderness, though—that's something to live for.