I finished Possession! ****Spoiler Alert*****
Posted by Sherry on November 03, 1997 at 11:18:57:
In response to Solitude and fire, written by kate on October 29, 1997 at 07:14:19
I also find his plea for a little bit of happiness with her, which will not affect her solitude or independence somewhat naive, and a little facile for such an intelligent person as Ash. It was easy for a man to assume that a little fling would have not long term consequences... at least not beyond delightful memories.
I have finished the book and I want to make a comment about the above post. STOP! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
First I was bothered by the intellectualizing they did when they agreed to part. I thought, where is the suffering here?
Then I read on and the true sufferring comes with their child. Her torment is knowing and not being able or willing to share it with him and also not being able to acknowledge it as her own. His torment ,of course, is the not knowing for sure what happened to his child. I liked the book somewhat better when this whole subject was introduced and I found the second half of the book much more interesting then the first.
The second thing that bugged me was that they were supposed to be a melding of thought and souls . I think the author used a line about their not having to finish their thoughts because the other was already thinking the same thing, so atune to each other were they. So what happens? She thinks Ashe and Ellen will come and rip the child from her and he believes her capable of murdering it?
What happened to their mind sync?
I have to add that the whole theme of academic subterfuge has always been distasteful to me ( I know it happens all the time, but I don,t have to like it) that I found myself wishing the trees had not just trapped Cropper but rather had fallen on his head and that there would be one fallen tree per scholarly head, leaving the letter and the dead to rest in peace.
One final comment on the Blanche and Cristabel relationship. I most certainly read this as lesbian. After all you seldom here of someone killing themselves because someone they respect as an artist has a love affair. However it happens frequently (sadly) when someone who was the lover as well as admirer feels replaced. Whether it was physical or not doesn't matter, the feelings were most definitely present and the loss to Blanche was the same whether it was physical or cerebral.
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