Abstract
A. S. Byatt's Possession: A Romance (1990) is best defined as a quest narrative, as it follows the pattern that Campbell, Propp and Frye among others have described. Although mainly working with archetypes, Byatt also deploys here elements taken from romance subgenres such as detective stories and gothic fiction. Through this generic encoding of her work, Byatt raises questions as to the reception of these archetypes, the function of the author and the very process of reading.
Highlights
The story opens with Roland's unexpected find of the drafts of a letter written by Ash to an unnamed lady, folded inside Ash's personal copy of Vico's Principi di scienza nuova
Feeling "possessed" by the need to learn more about this relationship, Roland decides to keep those drafts and not to enlighten anyone else as to their existence
Through the theme of transgression mentioned above, which marks the onset of the quest, Byatt establishes a first link between the contemporary and the Victorian storylines, since Roland's behaviour sins against the scholarly code just as the illicit relationship of Ash and LaMotte breaks with Victorian sexual mores
Summary
The quest in this case involves two literary scholars, Roland Michell and Maud Bailey, in the discovery and reconstruction of the illicit affair between two fictional Victorian poets, Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
