Possession

Possession is a historical fiction novel by A.S. Byatt. Published in 1990, it won the Booker Prize in the same year. In 2002, it was adapted into a film, and between 2011 and 2012 it ran as a radio play on BBC One. In 2005, Time magazine included the novel in its list of 100 Best English Language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

The novel contains two parallel timelines. The first follows modern-day academics Roland Michell and Maud Bailey as they research the correspondence between Victorian poets Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte, whose story makes up the second narrative in the book. The story begins as Roland reads a book that once belonged to Randolph. Pressed in the pages, he discovers a romantic letter to Christabel. He seeks out Maud, who is an expert on Christabel and oversees the collection of her unpublished papers in the library.

Maud gives Roland the journal that belonged to Blanche Glover, a friend of Christabel’s, and he begins to read it for clues. He confesses to Maud that he stole the letter from Randolph’s book, though he intends to return it. Maud thinks he is dishonest but agrees to keep the letter a secret for the time being.



They visit Christabel’s grave, and then meet Joan and George Bailey, who own the house where Christabel stayed when she was living in the area. Maud discovers two sets of mysterious letters, but the Baileys decide not to let her read them until they can have them appraised. Roland approaches the researcher Beatrice Nest, who has the private journals of Randolph’s wife, Ellen Ash, who was also a friend of Christabel’s. She allows Roland to read Ellen’s private journals and commentary on Christabel’s work. Ellen thought Christabel’s work was underrated and misunderstood by the general public.

Roland returns home and argues with his girlfriend, Val. They are drifting apart because of financial difficulties. However, he soon receives good news: the Bailey’s are willing to let him and Maud read Christabel’s letters. Maud, a competitive scholar, suggests they divide the letters up so neither of them gets the full picture.

The letters begin as a formal literary correspondence, until Randolph admits that he is beginning to fall for Christabel. Blanche steals some of the letters, but after she is caught, the two resume writing to each other. Their relationship develops off-screen, the letters describing some of their rendezvous. Maud proposes that Christabel accompanied Randolph on a trip to Yorkshire. Reconstructing the journey using Randolph’s letters to Ellen, Maud and Roland set off to follow in his footsteps.



After agreeing to work together to solve the mystery, Roland and Maud visit the places described in Roland’s letters. They begin to see parallels in Randolph’s and Christabel’s work; they also begin to develop feelings for each other.

Meanwhile, a rival scholar, Mortimer Cropper, is also looking for evidence of Randolph and Christabel’s romance. An established biographer with more connections, he offers to buy the letters that Roland and Maud discovered. When Roland and Maud realize they have competition for their discovery, they go to France in secret to continue their research. Val begins to suspect there is something improper going on between Maud and her boyfriend.

In France, they meet Dr. Ariane LeMinier who is researching Christabel’s cousin Sabine. Sabine discovered that Christabel was pregnant and later gave the baby to a convent. Cropper also learns about the child through a scholarly contact of his own. Even Val, while out with friends one afternoon, starts to hear rumors of the romance between the two poets. However, she is most surprised to learn that Roland and Maud are genuinely conducting research together and not having an affair.



Cropper also arrives in France, and Roland and Maud narrowly avoid him. They return to France where they are approached by Val and her new boyfriend, Euan. A solicitor, Euan has come across something relevant to the research in a box of old deeds. Christabel left all her papers and effects to the Baileys upon her death, meaning they rightfully belong to Maud and cannot be sold to Cropper.

However, Cropper is pushing to secretly dig up Randolph and Christabel’s graves so he can look for evidence that may have been buried with them. Roland, Maud, and their friends head to London to see if they can stop the desecration. In an excerpt from her journal, Ellen explains that she discovered her husband’s love letters to Christabel after his death and buried them with him.

Cropper sneaks into the cemetery at night and begins to dig up Randolph’s grave. He finds the box containing the letters but is caught in the act by Roland’s team. They take the letters back to the inn and read them, discovering that Maud is the descendant of Randolph and Christabel, giving Maud ownership of all the papers and rights to the story.