Aaron's Rod

Abandoning his wife and children, Aaron Sisson leaves the mining community in pursuit of the 'life single': individual freedom, personal friendship, the 'male power' of passion and art. Playing the flute to pay his way he travels to post-war London, where he mixes with the modern Bohemian set and finds male friendship in Rawdon Lilly. Further travels take him to Milan and Florence ('a town of men') preoccupied with thoughts on the decline of humanity from the Renaissance to the modern age. For Aaron, in his own way, is striving to save civilization. Aaron's Rod was completed in 1921 but was then censored by Lawrence's publishers. This edition of the novel, based on the only authoritative surviving typescript, restores these cut passages and eliminates the errors of previous editions.

Lawrence's 1921 novel of protagonist Aaron Sisson also depicts the decline of civilization following World War I. The original manuscript was heavily edited to meet the morals of the time, but this edition restores the text to its pristine condition. It also includes a scholarly introduction and notes by Scottish lecturer Steven Vine. Copyright 1998 Library Journal Reviews