Possession

This is the second time that I use a Thomas Browne quote taken from the reviewed book as headline for a book review here. First time was for Sebald's Rings of Saturn. That book has with this one more things in common than Browne: both contain extensive walks through English countrysides. (Maybe it is time for me to look at Browne himself; if others keep quoting him, there must be something.)Byatt's labyrinthine Possession is of comparable erudition and of amazing versatility. I was tempted to call it excessively versatile. I am still considering to find this book too much of a `head birth' (the German Kopfgeburt may not quite work in direct translation, so maybe I should just say: too brainy). It is the kind of book that I enjoy reading, but that does not rock my boat in the way that my recent first encounters with writers like Kis, Sebald, Oe, Murakami did.The author invents 2 Victorian poets, complete with life and works, some of it integrated into the narration, and an affair. And the whole is told us by following modern day lit-historians working as history sleuths in their scramble for the bits and pieces from the lives of their objects of study. The detection work leads to historical mysteries and to romance in different time zones.Protagonists are two unlikely couples: the first consists of an unemployed postgraduate researcher in London, who starts the chain of events with a sensational (?) find of a manuscript of a letter draft in a library archive, and a wealthy aristocratic attractive lecturer in Lincoln (England), who gets drawn into this, because her specialty is the poetess who seems to have had a fling with the poet who is the specialty of our poor researcher. Whether they become a real couple as opposed to two people is one of the questions that keeps suspense open.The two poets of the past are the other couple. Also there: were they really a couple? Wasn't she a Lesbian? Wasn't he a devoted and loyal husband? Deep and rare questions.The time of the historical couple is insufficiently described as Victorian. One needs to specify that it is post-`Origin of Species' Victorian. Poet Ash is a rationalist whose world view is coming to grips with new paradigms; he is a fighter against quackeries like Mesmerism and the spiritism which was so popular in those days. His target of affection is more on the religious side of looking at things, and the two dance around the involved problems and potential conflicts with admirable sensitivity.Other people add color. There is the surprisingly named Professor Blackadder. The professor is however far away from his inspirational namesake, the man impersonated by Mr.Bean in a TV series that used to amuse me when I still watched TV. This Blackadder is a false trail.More amusing is Professor Cropper, a gentleman researcher from the US. His texts contribute a lot to the story. He is amusingly dislikable, as are some other personalities of the literary scene.Watching these professional literature analyzers at work, as they are shown by Byatt, I am so happy that I decided long ago not to choose this profession.And a footnote to all Vikings around here: a part of the imaginary world of this complex text is set in Iceland! One of poet Ash's major works is a verse epos called Ragnaroek. Just as a teaser for fans of things Nordic.

POSSESSION by A.S. Byatt employs a parallel plot device, in which two modern researchers (Maud Bailey and Roland Mitchell) try to find out what (if any) was the relationship between two Victorian poets, Randolph Ash and Christabel LaMotte in the years 1859 to 1861.The first time we meet them is in a railway compartment on page 299:“We are travelling together,” he said. “We decided–you decided–to come. What I do not know is whether you would wish–whether you would choose–to lodge and manage yourself separately from me after his point–or whether–or whether–you would wish to travel as my wife…“I want to be with you,” she said…She spoke quickly and clearly; but the gloved hands, in their warm kid, turned and turned in his. He said, still in the quiet, dispassionate tone they had so far employed: “You take my breath away. This is generosity–”“This is necessity.”“But you are not sad, you are not in doubt, you are not–”“That doesn’t come into it. This is necessity. You know that.” She turned her face away and looked out, through a stream fine cinders, at the slow fields. “I am afraid, of course. But that seems to be of no real importance. None of the old considerations–none of the old cares–seem to be of any importance. They are not tissue paper, but seem so.”“You must not regret this, my dear.”“And you must not speak nonsense. Of course I shall regret. So will you, will you not? But that too, is of no importance at this time.” (299-300)Victorian In this scene, we are not just limited to the words written down as part of a one-sided conversation that characterizes a letter. We are also given, in A. S. Byatt’s text, additional information that conveys more vividly the emotions. Here, she characterizes Ash’s embarrassment, hesitancy and fear of failure by the rhythms of his speech. He does not speak fluently, he pauses and repeats himself, sometimes changing a word (from ‘we’ to ‘you’, from ‘wish’ to ‘choose’) to acknowledge that Christabel LaMotte isn’t his wife, but an independent being. LaMotte is nervous and somewhat self-deceiving, telling herself and him that staying in his room is a ‘necessity’ rather than a choice. In all other aspects, she employs a steely clear-sightedness, knowing that she is ignoring feelings of guilt and fear and regret in her single-minded determination to have an affair with him. Lastly, she doesn’t hesitate to contradict him. So this is no typical coy Victorian Miss. This is a clear thinking woman making choices, with one dash of self-deception thrown in to make her human.I loved the way this novel ends. Five stars.

I confess to only reading Possession because it’ usually on those “100 books to read before you die” type of lists and it’s one of a few I’ve not read.Context is everything in these reviews, so I must also reveal that I studied English Literature at University. However, like most of the less favourable reviews, I read for pleasure and found my BA killed my love of reading for 3 years as it became a chore and so often I felt like I was wading through turgid poetry and prose.However, unlike several of the low scoring reviews, I did read the poetry sections and I have finished it. I’ll admit that this was my second attempt at reading Possession. The first time I reached the end of chapter 1 and felt that it really wasn’t the type of book I needed in my life at that time.It’s a dense read. It’s not an airport novel, a quick holiday read but there has to be space for a whole range of genres and styles. The dismissive reviews seem to imply that if a book’s difficult or not enjoyable that it shouldn’t exist, think of the poor reader and all that. If we had the same approach with film and theatre, with music and visual arts wouldn’t the world be a less rich place to be? Should everything be populist and easy? No. The Booker prize is not the Richard and Judy book club but there’s room on my bookshelf for books from both.I have read the poetry and I’ve not skimmed the text and still got the plot. Surely the poems and letters all layer the work, it’s not a buffet, it’s a meal with carefully selected elements that work together for the whole.All that said, the world of academia and the presumed elitism and intellectual snobbery can and has alienated some readers. There is a whiff of A.S. Byatt showing off her knowledge and her skill and kudos to her for that. There are interesting overlaps with real life, with non-fictional characters and writers included in the work.It’s taken me a while to get through it. It wasn’t the most painful read I’ve ever had, it’s well written and there’s a sense that Byatt is purposefully dragging out the plot. I’ve read mentions of a Da Vinci Code style scavenger hunt, the main characters following historical clues but, for me, I just didn’t care very much about them finding anything out, the stakes weren’t very high (either the letters were looked after by the baddie of the book and money fall into the wrong hands or they go to academics who love the work and deserve it?), the characters all a bit obvious and stereotypical. Perhaps they were representing class tropes.I was glad to finally finish and it took me far longer to read than I’d thought because it’s so turgid. The moment you land in a section set in modern day (well, the 1980s) when the pace picked up, you’d shortly be landed back in florid epistles between Victorian writers or poetry written to give clues but, for me, were a challenge to switch from novel reading mode to poetry reading mode. I perked up with the journal of a young French woman but it wasn’t enough for me to give a raving review.My kindle edition had several typos which was disappointing. A.S. Byatt also loves tormenting her readers with her own inimitable and boundless vocabulary. I started highlighting the words I’d either never heard of in my life or when I was simply unsure of the meaning. It tripped me up, made me feel stupid, distanced me from the plot and characters and gave the impression that Byatt either just loves to show off or is so blinkered to a world beyond her own literary one that she doesn’t give two hoots about communicating with her reader. Or perhaps we, the readers, do not figure at all in the process.It’s clever (although it definitely slides into a mystery novel pastiche in the post storm hotel debrief scene), it’s long, it’s bound to be picked over and analysed but I was gagging to get it over and done with purely so I could tick it off my “books you should read” list. I bought it four years ago and kept putting it off as it felt daunting. I’ll not be revisiting in and I don’t care if that makes me seem like an uneducated pleb. It should probably be a 3 but for wave of relief that swept through me when I finally finished reading it I’m going to smash a two star review on it.I’ll finish with some (not all) of the words that totally flummoxed me:sempiternal, pellucid, hagiography, conchoidal, divagate, bladderwrack, cache-pot, silex, besprent, suttee, tisane, exiguous, revanche, odylic, actinic, exosmose, dolmen, calyx, panegyrics.

I have this in hardback, kindle and audio. It is one of my favourite books. I first read it in a borrowed paperback during what was a difficult time for me. As others have commented, I did find it a difficult book to get into; however as with Shakespeare once cracked found it really absorbing. Others have remarked on the dodgy characterisasations of those not favoured by public school & Oxbridge backgrounds, that is a common failing (Iris Murdoch, Angus Wilson) in UK literary fiction. One just has to choose whether or not to go with the flow and park that to one side, Martin Amis tries to tackle the great divide and drives me round the bend. Each to their own. I loved the poetry of this novel and was completely absorbed by the modern day academic world created in parallel to that of Victorian poetry. The ending moved me greatly and I took great pleasure in the successful outcome of the romance.

An obscure scholar Roland Mitchell steals letters written by a 19th century poet Randolph Henry Ash apparently written to his lover Christabel la Motte.. He becomes involved with a glacially cool Maud Bailey professor in Lincoln University..they both hunt out more letters in a very cold manor house in the depths of Lincolnshire where Cristobel's grave lies. An American scholar who drives a car with the registration number 666! attempts to exhume more letters and a lock of hair from Ash's grave during a storm.All ends well as Mitchell's and Maud Bailey's lives converge. and readers meet Ash's Daughter Maia breaking the flower garland made for her.Marion in Hailey Oxfordshire

I read this for the second time. Different read as I saw the parallels between the Victorian p,it and the modern plot far more clearly. I missed the element of surprise though. A very intriguing novel. Part detective story, part literary treasure hunt. I felt more drawn to Roland on second reading. Some great characters. The equally monstrous cropper and Blackadder, although Black addresses does redeem himself near the end. Still a very good read.

I'm going to give this book five stars, but warning ... here comes a warning. Possession is really two books. One is written by a genius, who draws the reader into a Victorian landscape with poignant subtlety. The second book is set in the present day and appears to have been written by a sixth former, who turned out to be less talented than we'd hoped. Look out for endless prosaic descriptions and possibly the clumsiest use of the colour, green, ever to have made it to print.The book IS worth reading for the poetry alone. However, I suggest you run your eyes swiftly down the modern sections on the basis that the story is not intended as a comedy. Though, if you want a laugh, count how many times characters suddenly remember that they are not from the south of England and throw in a bit of accent for a line or two.