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Possession A S Byatt 9780679735908 Books

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Possession A S Byatt 9780679735908 Books

A reader might reasonably wonder, given the range of comments on this novel, whether it is worth reading or not. “Possession” is a favorite novel (or “romance,” as Byatt calls it) of mine, and I’ve just finished reading it for the second time, more than two decades after the first reading, just after it was published. But, to be sure, one has to like this sort of book, so here is a kind of checklist---an odd sort of review, I do realize, but here goes:

You’ll enjoy “Possession” if you
• Like reading about the Victorians
• Enjoy poetry (but see below)
• Enjoy satire about academic life
• Appreciate meticulous, well-rendered detail
• Don’t mind an intricate story that moves between past and present, with stops for (fictional) journal entries and poems

You won’t enjoy “Possession” if you
• Dislike poetry of any sort
• Aren’t much interested in academic wrangles over dusty journals and old letters tied with ribbons
• Have no interest in Victorian sexual mores, religious searching, and self-abnegation
• Want a story that moves sequentially, in straightforward fashion

The novel’s main characters, the 19th century lovers and poets R. H. Ash and Christabel Lamotte, are fictional, as is their “poetry,” all of it invented by A.S. Byatt. The latter is a tour de force---pages and pages of poems, some in the manner of Browning (Ash) and some more like Dickinson (LaMotte). You can slide over this if it’s not to your taste, since the clues to the novel’s mystery can be found in the prose, as well. However, reading even part of it will carry you back into this century.

The poets, in a wonderful kind of mirroring, have their 20th century counterparts in two academics, both specialists in the period: Roland Michell and Maud Bailey. The tenderness they begin to feel for one another is almost secondary to the tenderness they feel for Ash and Lamotte and for the words of these poets, which are their legacy. Despite all of the chasing down of literary clues, hidden letters, cryptic journal references, and evocative heirlooms in the novel, “Possession” makes clear that the real possession (and passion) lies in the act of reading.

M. Feldman


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Possession A S Byatt 9780679735908 Books Reviews

This book won the Booker prize in 1990 – that is why I decided to read it.

Whether I enjoyed it or not is something of an enigma.

The story is split into two different ages – that of the Victorian poets, Randolph Ash and Christabel LaMotte, and that of the modern-day researchers, Roland Michell and Maud Bailey. Roland is studying the work of Ash, and Maud that of LaMotte. Their paths cross when Roland tries to investigate a reference he found to a meeting between Ash and LaMotte that suggests there was a liaison between the two.

The book contains a great deal of poetry written by Ash and LaMotte in Victorian style (as they are fictional characters, it is all written by the author, Byatt). I found the poetry difficult to follow and tedious to read and I started to skip it, and then realised that I could do so without losing anything of the story.

The narrative switches between the developing relationship of Ash and LaMotte and the investigative efforts of Roland and Maud. The current day part of the book also relates the rivalry between researchers in different universities and parts of the world and shows up petty jealousies and possessiveness.

Apart from the poetry that heralds the change in era, the Victorian times are written about with a formality that distinguishes them from the modern 20th century parts. Byatt’s change in voice and her swathes of poetry are testament to her tremendous ability with the English language. I found the Victorian era passages to be more believable and enjoyable to read (excluding the poetry), rather than the modern times which felt simple and lacking in character. Perhaps that is what Ms Byatt sought to achieve.

One thing I found fascinating was that this was written before email and Google and so their research efforts were arduous compared to how easily we would do things in this internet era.

My assessment of this story is that it was enjoyable if I left out large parts of it. So there is the enigma. Can one be said to have enjoyed a book if one ignored a large part of it?

I’m sure the Booker prize was awarded for Ms Byatt’s dexterity with the language and the intricacy of the content.
This book has so many delectable layers to consume. I've read it several times and I still get those moments where I just want to flap my hands wildly about my head and run around the room shrieking.

It's a combination of incredibly engaging characters of depth and variety, wonderful humor, page turning, spine tingling mystery, Romance that can make an intellectual wriggle with pleasure - all steeped in the rich atmosphere created by Byatt"s brilliant pastiches of Victorian poetry and dark fairy tales. And that's just part of it...

Thank you A.S. Byatt for creating this - it's one of this books that just makes me relish life more while and after I read it. And continues to do so every time I re-read it.
A reader might reasonably wonder, given the range of comments on this novel, whether it is worth reading or not. “Possession” is a favorite novel (or “romance,” as Byatt calls it) of mine, and I’ve just finished reading it for the second time, more than two decades after the first reading, just after it was published. But, to be sure, one has to like this sort of book, so here is a kind of checklist---an odd sort of review, I do realize, but here goes

You’ll enjoy “Possession” if you
• Like reading about the Victorians
• Enjoy poetry (but see below)
• Enjoy satire about academic life
• Appreciate meticulous, well-rendered detail
• Don’t mind an intricate story that moves between past and present, with stops for (fictional) journal entries and poems

You won’t enjoy “Possession” if you
• Dislike poetry of any sort
• Aren’t much interested in academic wrangles over dusty journals and old letters tied with ribbons
• Have no interest in Victorian sexual mores, religious searching, and self-abnegation
• Want a story that moves sequentially, in straightforward fashion

The novel’s main characters, the 19th century lovers and poets R. H. Ash and Christabel Lamotte, are fictional, as is their “poetry,” all of it invented by A.S. Byatt. The latter is a tour de force---pages and pages of poems, some in the manner of Browning (Ash) and some more like Dickinson (LaMotte). You can slide over this if it’s not to your taste, since the clues to the novel’s mystery can be found in the prose, as well. However, reading even part of it will carry you back into this century.

The poets, in a wonderful kind of mirroring, have their 20th century counterparts in two academics, both specialists in the period Roland Michell and Maud Bailey. The tenderness they begin to feel for one another is almost secondary to the tenderness they feel for Ash and Lamotte and for the words of these poets, which are their legacy. Despite all of the chasing down of literary clues, hidden letters, cryptic journal references, and evocative heirlooms in the novel, “Possession” makes clear that the real possession (and passion) lies in the act of reading.

M. Feldman