Possession (Byatt novel)
Obsessed is a novel by AS Byatt in 1990; in Germany it was published in 1993 in Insel Verlag. The original English title of both love story and detective story representative work is The Possession. A romance.
Content and assessment
In Britain in the 1980s, the two literary scholar Roland Michell and Maud Bailey researching about writers of Victorian age: while Roland tries to learn more about the life of the famous writer Randolph Henry Ash, sits independently of him Maude with the Christabel hardly known LaMotte apart. In their research, there are signs increasingly clear that LaMotte and Ash must have known each other. During the research, develop into an exciting detective story that begins between Roland and Maude a love relationship.
On a second level of narration of the novel about the story of Ash and LaMotte and their relationship to each other reports. This narrative level is mainly due to the playback ( fictional ) Exchange of letters and diary entries, not just the two writers represented. Moreover, literary works of the two main characters of the game in the late 19th century storyline are ( also fictional ) inserted, which are in connection with the plot line. Dominant themes include, on the one hand, the importance of art and the (literary ) Science, where especially the latter is called into question, on the other hand, the titular obsession. Especially the obsession with the past as they experience the two scientists, plays a major role. A basic theme of the storyline to Christabel LaMotte RH and Ash is the legend of Melusine. In addition, issues of feminism are always present: The independent Christabel LaMotte also has to fight in Europe in the 19th century as Maude has to prevail in the 20th century in the male-dominated scientific community.
By using the diary and letter form, the braiding of complete poetic works as well as ( popular ) scientific treatises, which also each from two very different centuries, the structure of the novel is very complex, but at the same time of post-modern character.
Although Byatt gives her novel through the involvement of many seemingly authentic documents the appearance of historical verifiability, the characters are fictitious. However, the poet figures have concrete historical examples: Ash can with Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) and Robert Browning (1812-1889) are compared. Christabel LaMotte resembles Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861), Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) and Christina Rossetti ( 1830-1894 ).
Possession is an exemplary success story, as far as it comes to marketing: After the novel was awarded the Booker Prize in October 1990, sales went up. Although Possession as a thoroughly " English " book can be referred to, it continued in the United States of America very well. The combination of detective story, romance and sophistication, making it interesting for many target groups.
Filming
In 2002, the playwright Neil LaBute filmed the novel as Owned. The main roles were to see Gwyneth Paltrow as Maude and Aaron Eckhart as Roland. Ash was portrayed by Jeremy Northam, Christabel by Jennifer Ehle. The relationship between the writer and her explorer is shown in parallel. The film version differs in its action significantly from the original novel.