Exactly how steamy is this story?
NC-17
This just might be the steamiest book on Shmoop, not only for the explicit descriptions of sex but the use of the f-word, the c-word, and the … well, we guess that's it, but isn't that enough? Connie and Mellors have sex in the hut, in the cottage, in his hotel room, in the woods, and stark naked in the rain. And not only do they have sex all the time, they talk about it all the time. The book is literally about Connie Chatterley getting laid.
So here's the question: is there a point to all the sex, or is it just there to spice things up?
How about this: spicing things up is the point. So, let's say you've read chapter 10 and now you're feeling a little hot and bothered. Congratulations! You're aware of your body. You've stopped being a brain in a vat for once and experienced some proper bodily sensations. And if the book encourages you to go out and find someone to have sex with, all the better. You've actually gone out to do what Mellors (and Lawrence) would want, which is to find the "touch of tenderness" (18.145). Maybe there's some hope for the modern world after all.