"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.
[...]
_____
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.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The quest for identity and the postmodernist mirror-game – Can truth be a (re-)construction?
2.1 Definition and modern theory of authenticity
2.2 Construction and reconstruction of lives: Possession as a metabiography on the romantic ideal of authenticity
2.3 A postmodernist mirror-game
3. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines A.S. Byatt’s novel Possession, focusing on the interplay between the search for authentic identity and the complexities of postmodern narrative structures. It explores how characters navigate the tension between historical truth and personal discovery within a meta-fictional framework.
- The concept of authenticity in modern theory and literature.
- Postmodernist mirror-games and the nature of the "scattered self."
- The role of metabiography and intertextuality in constructing past and present identities.
- The influence of romantic patterns and historical crises on contemporary perceptions of selfhood.
- The significance of mystery and "possession" as central motifs in Byatt’s narrative.
Excerpt from the Book
A postmodernist mirror-game
As the quest for truth proceeds, Byatt uses mirror-images to expose her character’s search for authenticity. The Melusina myth, which focuses on women’s conflicting desires for enclosure and freedom, is such a mirror-image. The impassioned correspondence between Ash and LaMotte shows their mutual attraction, yet LaMotte perceives the poet’s presence in her life as an intrusion into her established solitude: ‘I am threatened in that Autonomy for which I have so struggled.’ She has chosen a life in solitude, an enclosed space in a “closed castle”, because autonomy guarantees her productivity as a poetess. LaMotte’s version of the Melusina myth (“The fairy Melusine”) presents Melusina as a fairy princess and sorceress who needs to be rescued from her seclusion. Later, when her husband breaks her command and spies on her in the bath, he discovers that she has a half-serpentine body. Consequently, Melusina has to live separated from her castle and children. Melusina’s split personality and her alienation from her once perfect life examines that, as LaMotte concludes, ‘[...] men saw women as double beings, enchantresses and demons or innocent angels.’ Romance, for LaMotte, is a proper form for women as it frees them to express their true natures: ‘[...] in Romance, women’s two natures can be reconciled.’
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the metafictional nature of Possession, outlining how Byatt interweaves a personal quest for identity with literary search patterns and connects the Victorian age with the present.
2. The quest for identity and the postmodernist mirror-game – Can truth be a (re-)construction?: This central chapter discusses the theoretical concepts of authenticity and examines how the novel functions as a metabiography by revealing the scholarly attempts to reconstruct the lives of two Victorian poets.
2.1 Definition and modern theory of authenticity: This section defines authenticity in various contexts and explores its complex role when applied to human life and identity, referencing philosophical discourse.
2.2 Construction and reconstruction of lives: Possession as a metabiography on the romantic ideal of authenticity: This section focuses on intertextuality and the biographical process, showing how the past exerts influence on the present and shapes the contemporary characters.
2.3 A postmodernist mirror-game: This section analyzes the use of mirror-images, such as the Melusina myth, to mirror character destinies and explore the struggle for autonomy versus romantic connection.
3. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the findings, noting that while the scholars seek coherence in the lives of the poets, their efforts ultimately highlight the postmodern difficulty of establishing absolute truth, leading to an acceptance of the open-ended nature of the past.
Keywords
Possession, A.S. Byatt, authenticity, postmodernism, identity, metabiography, intertextuality, Victorian age, romance, mirror-images, selfhood, narrative, scholarly quest, truth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the intersection of the quest for authentic identity and postmodern narrative strategies in A.S. Byatt’s novel Possession.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The work covers themes such as the definition of authenticity, the postmodern "scattered self," the influence of Victorian history on contemporary scholars, and the role of romance in establishing coherence.
What is the central research question?
The paper asks whether the quest for truth can be considered a (re-)construction and how past and present interact within the "mirror-game" of the narrative.
Which methodology is used in the paper?
The author uses a literary-analytical approach, incorporating concepts from postmodern theory, psychoanalysis, and biographical studies to interpret the text.
What is discussed in the main part of the paper?
The main part analyzes the definitions of authenticity, explores the concept of the metabiography, and details how mirror-images like the Melusina myth reflect the inner lives of both the Victorian and contemporary characters.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include authenticity, postmodernism, metabiography, intertextuality, and the "scattered self."
How does the author interpret the title "Possession"?
The author argues that "possession" is an ambiguous term in the novel, referring both to the ownership of historical documents and to being "possessed" by ideas, the past, or emotional desires.
What conclusion does the author draw regarding the scholars' search for truth?
The author concludes that while the scholars seek a definitive reconstruction of the past, the novel ultimately demonstrates the impossibility of absolute truth, suggesting that the search itself is what leads to their personal growth.
- Citation du texte
- Daniela Esser (Auteur), 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
