"possession"

i've been reading a.s. byatt's "possession" for the past week. it is not an easy novel to read. it has long narratives about life in the nineteenth century, long epic poems, and words i have yet to understand. but for some reason, i am "possessed" to finish it, no matter what. i am intrigued by these "poets" (ash and lamotte) and how they construct their poetry. i have been wondering if they were real? if they truly existed? if the events depicted in the novel really happened?

so i looked it up on the internet. and found a.s. byatt's website. on it, she wrote an essay on how she came to write "possession." and to my delight (and not surprise), i found out that it was her - antonia susan byatt - who wrote the poems herself. she invented these poets. she created all the wonderful letters. it was her all along. and although i would have been happy to know that randolf henry ash and christabel lamotte were real, in flesh and blood, i am content to know that they are real in spirit.

i have a lot of thoughts on this book. but i am not ready yet to write them. maybe "when the winds have changed."