Possession by A. S. Byatt ~ Book Club Online for June

[bellamarie]

The Book Club Online is  the oldest  book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone.  We offer cordial discussions of one book a month,  24/7 and  enjoy the company of readers from all over the world.  everyone is welcome to join in.

Week V: Metaphors and Endings       
 

Interview with A.S. Byatt on Possession Submitted by Jude S.

A Zest for Pastiche by John Mullan on Possession by AS Byatt. Week one:  Satire: (Possible spoilers within).  Submitted by Marcie

Characters and Plot : First Five Chapters by our Readers

Schedule of Discussion:

June 28-30  Chapters 24- end  (90pp)  

Week V: June 28-30  Chapters 124- End: Metaphors and Endings 

1. Chapter 24: What are some of the metaphors in this chapter that impressed you? What are Roland's primary thoughts and feelings at this time?

2. Chapter 25: What do we learn from Ellen Ash's journal? What do we learn directly from her thoughts to which the scholars don't have access?

3. Chapter 26: What transformations take place in Roland? What are some of the garden metaphors in this chapter?

4. Chapter 27: "We are driven by endings as by hunger. We must know...." (from the poem in the beginning of the chapter). "'All's well that ends well,' said Euan. This feels like the ending of a Shakespearean comedy--who's that chappie that comes down on a swing at the end of As You Like It?" What does the poem in the beginning of the chapter tells us. What about the reference to Shakespeare?

5. Chapter 28: What do you think of the grave robbing scene?
"Maud said,'We need the end of the story.' 'There is no guarantee that that is what we shall find,' said Blackadder. 'But we must look,' said Maud." How do you see the end of the story? What happens with Maud and Roland? Are there parallels with Christabel and Randolph?

6. Postscript: "There are things that happen that leave no discernible trace, are not spoken or written of, though it would be very wrong to say that subsequent events go on indifferently, all the same, as though such things had never been." What do you think of the events we, the readers, see in the postscript?

7. What are your thoughts about the book? Did the last chapters and postscript change your mind about how any of the characters were portrayed? How did the postscript change the "ending" of the book for you?

8. If you've seen the film adaptation, what are your thoughts about it? Many of the characters were combined or left out. Did the film seem faithful to the "spirit" of the book?

Discussion Leaders: ginny & Marcie

Jonathon,  Thank you for this,   "Randolph: "Summer fields - just in a  - twinkling of an eyelid - I saw her. I should have - looked after her. How could I? I could only - hurt her -"

Ash is in his final breaths rethinking as to whether he should have taken care of Mai.  I totally missed this!   For me it makes the ending, bittersweet.

Ginny, Sounds like I would not like the movie version, so I am glad you posted how different it is from the book, NO storm, oh my, that was the fun part of the whole graveyard thievery. Looks like one more thing I check off my list of....... forgetabout it.  LOL

You all have been such fun, and I enjoyed you all more than the book!  Have a great summer and hope to share another book with you soon.  Just NOT Byatt for me.  LOL Ciao!

  

[ginny]

Gum and Marcie, I'm so impressed that you can recall Ash, but I agree with you Gum: I think that gets right at the heart of the problem with this book - the poems and stories just don't stay in the mind. As reader I had to backtrack constantly to  sort out the parallels being drawn instead of being able to just nod wisely and say to myself 'just so' or some such.   I agree, to me it was such an amorphous mess  that forced rather than invited the reader to try to figure out what was going on, I never had a foothold on anything. And that was deliberate on Byatt's part. I think.

Marcie those were beautiful verses,  if to me totally nonsensical.  And Jonathan I loved your finding his deathbed thoughts  meaningful. I love  it when people appreciate anything,  your enthusiasm and appreciation make   it so much more for all of us, whether or not we share that opinion, just love it.

That is one major reason why reading a book together always makes for a winning situation, we don't agree, but we enjoy (or I do anyway) the opposing viewpoint. I just saw the same thing in a lecture at a Classics Conference on Caesar's battle with the Nervii,  where the reaction from the assembled Classicists there, more than 100,  ran from avowed admiration and intense examination of his very syllables with breathless delight  to an analogy to a Hitler.

I'm in the breathless delight camp where Caesar is concerned,  but I understand the negative (I think it's unfounded and somewhat lacking in  learning  but still I can admit it) and it's like that for me here. I guess in reverse, I'm the swine that the pearls were laid out for. I love that, too.

Bella, no I think you would like the movie and I think it would make the book more palatable.

I won't go into my thoughts on Ash on his deathbed. RIP.

Byatt is no Caesar, and to me, if you have to delve,  the substance better be worth the struggle. I am so glad for some of you it was. Just love our book discussions here, thank you all so much, you were right Jonathan, we should not have shelved it! It's been a great experience, all around.