The next book on the list was Possession, by A.S. Byatt. I'd never heard of it before, but it apparently won the Booker Prize in 1990.
This book is an amazing piece of work.
A struggling academic, studying a 19th century poet, (Randolph Henry Ash) discovers some drafts of a letter to an unknown woman written by the poet. Ash was previously thought to be happily married, and nothing is known of any involvement with a woman other than his wife. Roland is compelled to investigate. When he discovers that Ash met a poet named Christabel La Motte at around the time that the letter was written, he approaches Maud, an expert on La Motte, to help him trace the connection. Roland and Maud then retrace journeys made by the poets, and uncover more previously unknown letters and poems, to discover a grand passion between Ash & La Motte.
The story is told through these letters and poems, as well as the third person narration. I have to confess that I skipped most of the poems; this probably means that I've missed some of the literary significance of the novel (doing a quick search, it seems that Ash is thought to be based on Robert Browning and La Motte on Emily Dickinson, but I have to say that this passed me by). The early letters between the poets were also hard work as they were literary discussions in relation to their craft of writing. I can appreciate that these elements of Possession are well-written, intelligent, essential to the story...but I didn't actually want to read them.
However, it was worth persevering. The relationship that is uncovered between Ash & La Motte is beautifully realised. Following a chance meeting and then correspondence, they fall in love, passionately and with a compulsion that leaps out of the pages. Ash is known, however, to have remained married to the same woman for the rest of his life, and the diaries and letters that are officially on record have no indication of unhappiness or disruption in their marriage. This raises some questions about the nature and potential duality of love - is it possible to fall in love with a second person without this reducing the love you feel for the first? The reader is given an insight into the relationship which is not given to the academics, and arrives at a good understanding and possibly justification of Ash's love affair - but Roland & Maud will never get to understand this. Part of its power also comes, I think, from the fact that their behaviour is so different to what we have traditionally come to expect from 19th century characters in literature.
The 19th century events take place against a background of academic rivalry - American and English academics vying for understanding, discovery and, above all ownership of the papers. We also see Roland moving from a stagnating relationship and career, with a continuous sense of failure to....something different. I don't want to give away too much of the story, because the dramatic tension is beautifully maintained.
Although it is hard work at times, I would highly recommend reading this. It is beautifully constructed and researched, and I was deeply affected by it. Not so much that I would recommend polygamy as a way of life, naturally, but the "historical" figures had such depth of feeling and powerful passion that it seemed impossible for them to have made any other choice. The academics, "current time" figures as far as the novel is concerned, paled into insignificance beside them, and it was impossible to make the moral judgement that Ash was wrong to do what he did. I can't work out how to express this well, but there is something in the writing that connected directly into my heart/emotions, rather than me just responding to it intellectually as I do to most fiction. That sounds slightly odd, but I can't think of any other way to put it. If you read it, let me know what you think!
