Lady Chatterley’s Lover · Character

Sir Malcolm

Connie's father, a celebrated painter and freethinker whose easy bohemianism gives his daughter both her taste for freedom and her vagueness about what to do with it.

supporting

First appearance: Chapter I

As a supporting figure in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Sir Malcolm is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Connie's father, a well-known R.A.

In the storyChapter IOpen this moment free

See Sir Malcolm in Chapter I Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Sir Malcolm belongs to the cosmopolitan, cultured class that drifts through the novel's background — the world of artists, London flats, and opinions held lightly. He is affectionate toward Connie but fundamentally detached, more interested in his own comforts and theories than in the marriage she is slowly suffocating inside. His casual permissiveness matters early on: it helps explain why Connie has no inherited framework for judging her situation, only a vague hunger for something real.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Sir Malcolm sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Sir Malcolm in Chapter I

Character Web

9 connections

A slice of how Sir Malcolm sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Family
Social
Other

Character groups

Constance's family and lovers
Protagonist

+4 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point

This excerpt is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the irreversible emotional rupture between Connie…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Relationships

Constance Chatterley
family · positive
Affectionate father-daughter relationship with Sir Malcolm's bohemian encouragement of… How this plays out →
Oliver Mellors
social · ambivalent
Oliver Mellors
social · ambivalent
Constance Chatterley
family · positive
Affectionate father-daughter relationship with Sir Malcolm's bohemian encouragement of… How this plays out →
Constance Chatterley
family · positive
Affectionate father-daughter relationship with Sir Malcolm's bohemian encouragement of… How this plays out →

Constance Chatterley
Affectionate father-daughter relationship with Sir Malcolm's bohemian encouragement of Constance's independence.
Oliver Mellors
Cautious, respectful acquaintance as Sir Malcolm assesses Mellors' suitability for his daughter.
Oliver Mellors
Cautious, respectful acquaintance as Sir Malcolm assesses Mellors' suitability for his daughter.
Constance Chatterley
Affectionate father-daughter relationship with Sir Malcolm's bohemian encouragement of Constance's independence.
Constance Chatterley
Affectionate father-daughter relationship with Sir Malcolm's bohemian encouragement of Constance's independence.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Sir Malcolm in Chapter I

In the story

Sir Malcolm appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter I
Connie's father, a well-known R.A. (Royal Academician) who allowed his daughters freedom in their upbringing, leaving his wife to rule the household while he went his own way.
Chapter II
Visits Wragby and privately tells Connie that Clifford's writing has 'nothing in it'; warns Clifford about Connie's demi-vierge state.
III
Connie's father, who advises her to get a beau, suggesting she needs a lover.
XVIII
Initially angry about the scandal, but after meeting Mellors, he approves and becomes tender with Connie.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Sir Malcolm unlock in the free preview.

See Sir Malcolm in Chapter I