<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>In 1995, a two-page-long letter signed by Professor Maud Michell-Bailey – which furthermore enclosed two original poems by Christabel LaMotte – prefaced a special edition on women poets in the academic journal <italic>Victorian Poetry</italic>. The letter and poems invite a critical return to <italic>Possession</italic>, since they are a complex game in which made-up characters come to life and actual people are fictionalized. They also raise significant theoretical issues while appearing to break free from the limitations imposed by what Victorian Poetry editor Linda Hughes has correctly described as “overdetermined readings, simplification, distortion” (6). In doing so, they masterfully create a parodic and intertextual dialogue in an inverted mirror game that blurs the lines between the real and the imagined and invites the reader to engage in an active participation. When combined, Maud’s letter and LaMotte’s poems offer an intriguing look at the fruitful fusion of A.S. Byatt's critical and literary imagination. Therefore, this article explores Byatt’s intersections between academia, literary criticism, and fiction by analysing her metafictional discourse on fictional Victorian poems vis-à-vis the real contemporary academic journal in which they were published.</p>
</abstract>

In 1995, a two-page-long letter signed by Professor Maud Michell-Bailey – which furthermore enclosed two original poems by Christabel LaMotte – prefaced a special edition on women poets in the academic journal Victorian Poetry. The letter and poems invite a critical return to Possession, since they are a complex game in which made-up characters come to life and actual people are fictionalized. They also raise significant theoretical issues while appearing to break free from the limitations imposed by what Victorian Poetry editor Linda Hughes has correctly described as “overdetermined readings, simplification, distortion” (6). In doing so, they masterfully create a parodic and intertextual dialogue in an inverted mirror game that blurs the lines between the real and the imagined and invites the reader to engage in an active participation. When combined, Maud’s letter and LaMotte’s poems offer an intriguing look at the fruitful fusion of A.S. Byatt's critical and literary imagination. Therefore, this article explores Byatt’s intersections between academia, literary criticism, and fiction by analysing her metafictional discourse on fictional Victorian poems vis-à-vis the real contemporary academic journal in which they were published.

“Mocking Eternities”: Writing Beyond the Ending of <italic>Possession</italic>, or A.S. Byatt’s Intersections between Academia, Literary Criticism, and Fiction

American, British and Canadian Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

“Mocking Eternities”: Writing Beyond the Ending of , or A.S. Byatt’s Intersections between Academia, Literary Criticism, and Fiction

In 1995, a two-page-long letter signed by Professor Maud Michell-Bailey – which furthermore enclosed two original poems by Christabel LaMotte – prefaced a...

“Mocking Eternities”: Writing Beyond the Ending of Possession, or A.S. Byatt’s Intersections between Academia, Literary Criticism, and Fiction

Published Online: Jan 26, 2024

Page range: 80 - 103

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/abcsj-2023-0008

Keywords
A.S. Byatt, biographic metafiction, feminist critical history, Victorian women’s writing, Maud Michell-Bailey, ; postmodern parody, self-reflexive realism

© 2023 Alexandra Cheira, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

“Mocking Eternities”: Writing Beyond the Ending of Possession, or A.S. Byatt’s Intersections between Academia, Literary Criticism, and Fiction

Published Online: Jan 26, 2024

Page range: 80 - 103

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/abcsj-2023-0008

KeywordsA.S. Byatt, biographic metafiction, feminist critical history, Victorian women’s writing, Maud Michell-Bailey, ; postmodern parody, self-reflexive realism

© 2023 Alexandra Cheira, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
A.S. Byatt, biographic metafiction, feminist critical history, Victorian women’s writing, Maud Michell-Bailey, ; postmodern parody, self-reflexive realism