Odour of Chrysanthemums Study Guide

D.H. Lawrence grew up in a mining town as a frail child who was extremely close to his mother, a failed schoolteacher. He sympathized with her struggles as the wife of a coarse miner with a drinking problem, and many of his female protagonists—including Elizabeth in Odour of Chrysanthemums—similarly bear the challenges of difficult marriage. After Lawrence graduated from university, he became a schoolteacher, publishing poems and short stories at the same time. As his writing career grew, he left teaching and began to build a reputation as a controversial writer with works like The Rainbow, his second novel, which was seized by authorities for being obscene. Lawrence and his wife, Frieda, were also viewed suspiciously in wartime England because of FriedaÕs German father, and the government asked them to leave in 1917. The couple traveled extensively afterwards, and Lawrence passed away in France in 1930.

In the late 19th century and early 20th century when Odour of Chrysanthemums was written, the coal mining industry was booming in England. Miners often lived in isolated villages where a majority of workers in the village were miners, and some communities had begun to form trade unions. Mining became a political issue due to the dangerous working conditions and low wages colliers faced. Lawrence's father was a miner himself, and likely served as inspiration for Walter's character in Odour of Chrysanthemums.

Lawrence won acclaim for many of his short stories, including The Rocking-Horse Winner and The Horse Dealer's Daughter.Odour of Chrysanthemums is one of his most highly regarded stories and was a major factor in launching his career, drawing the attention of Heinemann, a London publisher. A longer version of the story can be found in his collection, The Prussian Officer and Other Stories (1914).