Possession: A Romance
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 First American edition cover |
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| Author | A. S. Byatt |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Released | 1990 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 511 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0711032604 |
Possession: A Romance is a 1990 novel by British writer A. S. Byatt. It was a major bestseller which won the Booker Prize that same year.
Part historical as well as contemporary fiction, the novel's title Possession refers both to issues of ownership and independence between lovers, and to the possession that a biographer feels of their subject.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
The novel concerns the relationship between two fictional Victorian poets, Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte, as revealed to present day academics Roland Michell and Maud Bailey. Following a trail of clues from various letters and journals, they attempt to uncover the truth about Ash and LaMotte's past before it is discovered by rival colleagues.
The novel incorporates many different styles and voices: diaries, letters and poetry, in addition to third-person narration. Possession is as concerned with the present day as it is with the Victorian era, pointing out the differences between the two time periods satirizing such things as modern academia and mating rituals.
[edit] The Use of the Epigraph
In Possession, an epigraph is used to head several chapters, particularly those early on in the book. Byatt uses it as a structural device, primarily for a substrative function, to outline the common themes which formulate in that particular chapter. Each epigraph serves to point the reader to important images or ideas that are going to be expanded upon throughout the chapter.
This is manifest in chapter one, wherein the epigraph is used to introduce the book. As the first thing a reader will see, it serves to incorporate not only those themes primarily used in that chapter, but also themes frequented throughout the novel as a whole. The most obvious point to make in regards to the epigraph heading the first chapter is the introduction of a "colour scheme."
[edit] Awards and nominations
- 1990 Booker Prize
- 1990 Irish Times International Fiction Prize
[edit] Film adaptation
The novel was adapted into a 2002 feature film called Possession starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Maud Bailey; Aaron Eckhart as Roland Michell; and Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle as the fictional poets Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte.
| Preceded by The Remains of the Day |
Man Booker Prize recipient 1990 |
Succeeded by The Famished Road |
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