Past Present Future Politics on Trial: Lady Chatterley’s Lover
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Dec 7, 2025 Explore the gripping 1960 obscenity trial of D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover, where Penguin Books fought against censorship. Delve into the prosecution's attempts to label the book a menace to morals, and the expert witnesses who defended its literary merit. Discover the intriguing dynamics of the jury, their reading habits in the jury room, and the contentious sexual passages that stirred debate. Unearth how class snobbery influenced the trial's outcome and the judge's blunders that impacted the verdict that changed literary history.
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New Law Changed Obscenity Tests
- The 1959 Obscene Publications Act required judging a book as a whole and allowed expert witnesses.
- It introduced a public interest defence so literary merit could justify publication.
Jury As A Book Club
- The defence preferred a judge but accepted a jury, making the case a public focus group.
- The jury had to read the book, so twelve ordinary readers judged its obscenity firsthand.
Control The Reading Environment
- Let jurors read controversial works in comfortable conditions to avoid theatrical shock.
- Reading context can affect reactions, so defence asked for home reading while judge forced reading in the jury room.
