"Post-modernist fiction often presents us with a pastiche of genres and styles."3 This is especially true with regard to A. S. Byatt′s Possession. A Romance4. In her metafictional novel, Byatt connects a bygone time with the present, interweaving a personal quest for identity with a literary search and patterns of romance, and thus providing the reader with letters, diary extracts and poems that interrupt the outer narrative. The novel reflects upon the question of how lives can be recapitulated and represented, but it also focuses on the difficulty of remaining objective versus certain topics or persons. Furthermore, it also conveys the postmodern idea of the scattered self. The novel ponders over the question if someone can really seize another person, especially when there is a distance of more than a hundred years to overcome. Considering knowledge, for instance, about a bygone time, we have to admit that this knowledge is always based on second-hand information. Thus any information we obtain is an imparted truth unless we experience it ourselves.
In Possession, the author juxtaposes the Victorian age with the post-freudian time, as the two young literary scholars Roland Michell and Maud Bailey unexpectedly become figures of romance when they discover a surprising link between the two poets on whom they are authorities, namely Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte. The chase for bits of information regarding the Victorian poets′ lives and the unfolding story of a secret love-affair between them triggers the development of a romantic relationship between the two scholars. Thus, Byatt connects the two time-levels by implicating the academics in a postmodernist mirror-game.
Byatt′s interruptions of the narrative, confronting the reader with some narrative
situations and a postscript taking place in the (dead) past, provide the stimulus of a living past. Containing poems as well as letters and journals from the past, Possession is a richly layered patchwork connecting the bygone Victorian age with the present. The patchwork also allows Byatt to play with literary genres such as fairy-tale, romantic quest, myth and detective story.
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3 Giobbi, Giuliana: "Know the past: know thyself. Literary pursuits and quest for identity in A. S. Byatt′s Possession and in F. Duranti′s Effetti Personali." Journal of European Studies 24:1 (93): March 1994, p. 41.
4 Byatt, A.S.: Possession. London: Vintage Books, 1991. Hereafter cited as Byatt: Possession.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- The quest for identity and the postmodernist mirror-game – Can truth be a (re-)construction?
- Definition and modern theory of authenticity
- Construction and reconstruction of lives: Possession as a metabiography on the romantic ideal of authenticity
- A postmodernist mirror-game
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to explore the complex interplay of identity, authenticity, and postmodernist narrative techniques in A.S. Byatt's novel "Possession." The author examines how Byatt utilizes the postmodernist "mirror-game" to challenge traditional notions of truth and representation, particularly in the context of a historical romantic quest.
- The elusive nature of authenticity in the postmodern era
- The construction of identity through narrative and the role of the "mirror-game"
- The interplay of past and present, and how historical narratives shape our understanding of the past
- The relationship between love, possession, and the search for identity
- The use of metafiction and intertextuality to create a rich and multilayered narrative experience
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: The introduction establishes the context for the analysis by discussing the postmodernist elements of Byatt's novel and its exploration of identity and authenticity. It highlights the novel's focus on the quest for knowledge, particularly about the past, and the challenges of objectivity when dealing with historical figures and their lives.
- Authenticity and the postmodernist mirror-game Can truth be a (re-)construction?: This chapter delves into the concept of authenticity, offering a comprehensive definition and exploring its relevance to postmodern thought. It examines the complexities of authenticity in the context of representation, construction, and the "mirror-game" as a key tool for understanding postmodernist narrative strategies.
- Definition and modern theory of authenticity: The first section of this chapter provides a detailed definition of authenticity and explores its historical and contemporary uses, highlighting the idea of authenticity as a product of its time and its connection to notions of truth and genuineness.
- Construction and reconstruction of lives: Possession as a metabiography on the romantic ideal of authenticity: This section delves into the novel's representation of identity and authenticity. It explores how Byatt constructs the lives of her characters through narrative and how these constructions challenge traditional notions of authenticity.
- A postmodernist mirror-game: This section further examines the concept of the "mirror-game" in postmodern narrative and its significance in Byatt's work. It explores how this technique challenges traditional concepts of truth, reality, and representation, and how it impacts the reader's understanding of the characters and their search for identity.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Key themes and concepts explored in this paper include authenticity, identity, postmodernism, the mirror-game, metafiction, intertextuality, narrative construction, representation, and the search for knowledge. The analysis also focuses on the portrayal of love, possession, and the relationship between the past and the present in Byatt's "Possession."
- Quote paper
- Daniela Esser (Author), 2001, In Search of Authenticity: The quest for identity and the postmodernist mirror-game in A.S. Byatt's "Possession", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/6568