“Possession” by is set in the 1980’s/1890’s in London, the English countryside and Brittany, France and tells the story of two poet historians, Roland and Maud, immersed in the lives of (fictional) poets Randolph H. Ash and Christabel LaMotte, respectively. Maud is a far relation of LaMotte and has established a museum of sorts for her in the Women’s Resource Center in a small university. Roland toils at a pauper’s wage studying and research Ash in a library at the British Museum, fondly known as “the Ash Factory.”
Roland discovers a bit of evidence that the two poets might have not only known each other, but influenced each other’s poetry, which was in and of itself telling the history of previous poets, scientists and retelling folklore and legend. He and Maud revel in this newly discovered secret and wish to discover all the threads to this tapestry before established academia and obsessive fans of the poets get wind of it and bring it to the public.
The essence of “Possession” revolves around the notion of owning and being owned by another person and even the acquisition of material things and the ideas and concepts we attach to these things and people. During the time of Ash and LaMotte, women were still legally possessions of their fathers and then husbands and the poets were discovering the universal truths of these concepts throughout the stories and legends from the beginning of time forward. They discuss the mythos of this legal possession and the ways men have always feared being possessed by women (and female monsters) like Medussa, Vivienne, Sybill, Melusine, etc.
Byatt masterfully moves from poetry to history to journal to correspondence to narrative and keeps the integrity of each writer’s voice throughout. I find it fascinating when an author creates an entire literary legacy for one character in a story, much less four main characters and a slew of hangers on. “Possession” can indeed grab on to you and pull you down into it. I read this as part of a book ring and regret that I have to send it on. I just might have to get a copy for myself to delve deeper into the legends and authors Byatt includes because some of it went over my head and I truly desire understanding.
