The Neutral Territory in The Neutral Territory in A. S. Byatt’s A. S. Byatt’s PossessioPossessio

nn

PreparedPrepared by Anne Chenby Anne Chen

Coexistence of two phasesCoexistence of two phases

History: past and presentHistory: past and present Fiction: realism and romanceFiction: realism and romance Mirror image: 19th century Victorian poets &Mirror image: 19th century Victorian poets & 20th century contemporary20th century contemporary academics (history & fiction)academics (history & fiction) Christabel’s two-fold identity: a poet and Christabel’s two-fold identity: a poet and a mothera mother Tragicomic view of life: death and rebirth Tragicomic view of life: death and rebirth

History: past and present (1)History: past and present (1)

Postmodern view of historyPostmodern view of history: an explanatory sy: an explanatory system like history can be reduced to linguistic fstem like history can be reduced to linguistic formulas: it has persuasive powers rather than ormulas: it has persuasive powers rather than truth. This leads to postmodern trends such as truth. This leads to postmodern trends such as multiplicity, self-conscious reflexivity, and intemultiplicity, self-conscious reflexivity, and intertextuality.rtextuality.

Coexistence of past & presentCoexistence of past & present: Byatt creates a : Byatt creates a quest of self-identity for the contemporary acaquest of self-identity for the contemporary academics (20th cent.) to resurrect the living past demics (20th cent.) to resurrect the living past (19th cent.) and to redefine the present.(19th cent.) and to redefine the present.

History: past and present History: past and present (2)(2)

Cyclical and linear timeCyclical and linear time: : “are best “are best conceived as two often but not always conceived as two often but not always complementary ways of looking at the same complementary ways of looking at the same thing, two alternative conceptualizations of the thing, two alternative conceptualizations of the same phenomenon which do not exclude each same phenomenon which do not exclude each other.”other.”

Linear timeLinear time: the Victorian age is the age of : the Victorian age is the age of science in which the linear certainty of science in which the linear certainty of death as the “real” future, full of death as the “real” future, full of fragmentation and despair. fragmentation and despair.

Cyclical timeCyclical time: by marking the past, contemporary : by marking the past, contemporary artists can generate the heterogeneity by various artists can generate the heterogeneity by various histories and resurrect the living past. This heritaghistories and resurrect the living past. This heritage in life and art preserves the cyclical story.e in life and art preserves the cyclical story.

Byatt creates the cyclical and linear stories of past Byatt creates the cyclical and linear stories of past and present to blend and interact in and present to blend and interact in Possession.Possession.

Through the quest for knowledge, all the characteThrough the quest for knowledge, all the characters are “possessed by” the past. Byatt connects trs are “possessed by” the past. Byatt connects the past to the present.he past to the present.

The cyclical story gives hope of rebirth in the tragiThe cyclical story gives hope of rebirth in the tragicomic ending.comic ending.

Fiction: realism and Fiction: realism and romanceromance

PossessionPossession is a blend of poetry and prose, a is a blend of poetry and prose, and the Romance and Realism styles of the Vind the Romance and Realism styles of the Victorian and contemporary novel.ctorian and contemporary novel.

PossessionPossession, “a romance”—Byatt’s roma, “a romance”—Byatt’s romance takes us into Nature, human and secret nce takes us into Nature, human and secret moments with the plots of the quest, the chmoments with the plots of the quest, the chase and the mystery and reveals hidden histase and the mystery and reveals hidden historical truths, claiming a more complete re-viorical truths, claiming a more complete re-visioning of reality.sioning of reality.

Mirror image: 19th & 20th Mirror image: 19th & 20th centuries (1)centuries (1)

Maud Bailey(an academic as

a reader)

Roland Michell(an academic

& a poet)

Christabel LaMotte(a poet as

a character)

Randolph HenryAsh (a poet asa character)

LeonoraStern

(a feminist)

Val

BlancheGlover

(an artist)

Ellen Ash

(20th cent.: contemporary novel)

(19th cent.: Victorian novel)

Mirror image: 19th & 20th Mirror image: 19th & 20th centuries (2)centuries (2)

Mirror imageMirror image: to Lacan, though the mirro: to Lacan, though the mirror image becomes an image outside of thr image becomes an image outside of the self, the image becomes a sign for a sele self, the image becomes a sign for a self and constitutes the self. So we depend f and constitutes the self. So we depend on the images of the literal Other both to on the images of the literal Other both to create the self through difference and socreate the self through difference and somehow to fill up the gap created by our smehow to fill up the gap created by our subjectivity because the Other represents ubjectivity because the Other represents this unified self we have lost. this unified self we have lost.

Mirror image: 19th & Mirror image: 19th & 20thcenturies (3)20thcenturies (3)

Christabel (character) Maud (reader) Christabel (character) Maud (reader) (ancestor/mother) (descendant/child)(ancestor/mother) (descendant/child) Christabel & Blanche Maud & LeonoraChristabel & Blanche Maud & Leonora Randolph Ash (character) Roland Michell (reader)Randolph Ash (character) Roland Michell (reader) (poet) (poet)(poet) (poet) Randolph & Ellen Roland & ValRandolph & Ellen Roland & Val ““Fictional realism”: parallelism serves to Fictional realism”: parallelism serves to reverse reverse tt

he concept that art holds the mirror up to nature buhe concept that art holds the mirror up to nature but shows how reality imitates art. t shows how reality imitates art.

Christabel’s two-fold identity Christabel’s two-fold identity (1)(1)

Christabel as Emily DickinsonChristabel as Emily Dickinson: as a poet, Dickinso: as a poet, Dickinson/ Christabel is in total inwardness, a refusal to shn/ Christabel is in total inwardness, a refusal to share in the collective utterance of the world. Her prare in the collective utterance of the world. Her privateness essential to female writing.ivateness essential to female writing.

** ** “The stimulus of Loss makes most Possession “The stimulus of Loss makes most Possession mean.” –mean.” –Emily DickinsonEmily Dickinson ** ** Christabel as MelusinaChristabel as Melusina: Christabel is Melusina, an : Christabel is Melusina, an

ambivalent figure– unnatural monsterambivalent figure– unnatural monster -- loving and handy woman-- loving and handy woman

Christabel’s two-fold identity Christabel’s two-fold identity (2)(2)

Melusina like women has no real self for heMelusina like women has no real self for her split between the human and the inhumr split between the human and the inhuman (half-woman, half-serpent).an (half-woman, half-serpent).

Byatt’s perspective on female subjectivitByatt’s perspective on female subjectivity:y:

She evokes autonomy and creativity from She evokes autonomy and creativity from women’s roles of a mother (reproductiowomen’s roles of a mother (reproduction) and of a woman artist.n) and of a woman artist.

19th cent. woman’s plot does not end in 19th cent. woman’s plot does not end in marriage or death but through the bridge marriage or death but through the bridge of art gets rebirth in the 20th cent. of art gets rebirth in the 20th cent.

Tragicomic view of life: Tragicomic view of life: death & rebirthdeath & rebirth

The death of Ash and the birth of MaiaThe death of Ash and the birth of Maia Love between Maud and Roland consummates Love between Maud and Roland consummates

and continues the love between Christabel andand continues the love between Christabel and

Randolph.Randolph. The present interacting with the past revivifies The present interacting with the past revivifies

the past memories and renders the possibilities the past memories and renders the possibilities in life by redefining the present.in life by redefining the present.

Love promises the rebirth to each other which Love promises the rebirth to each other which such withdrawal aids by protecting and such withdrawal aids by protecting and regenerating the self.regenerating the self.

ReferencesReferences

Bloom, Harold. Bloom, Harold. Emily DickinsonEmily Dickinson. Philadelphia: Chelsea . Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1999. House, 1999. Byatt, A. S. Byatt, A. S. Possession: A RomancePossession: A Romance. London: Vintage,. London: Vintage, 1991.1991.““Self and the Other.” Self and the Other.” Otherness in AdvertisingOtherness in Advertising. 12 April. 12 April 2004 <http://www.lclark.edu/~soan370/lacan.html>. 2004 <http://www.lclark.edu/~soan370/lacan.html>.

Young, Michael. Young, Michael. The Metronmic SocietyThe Metronmic Society. London: Thames,. London: Thames, 1988. 1988.