Title: Diapositiva 1
1POSSESSION
A Romance
2CHAPTER I
- SETTING PLACE London
Library - TIME one
day in September 1986 at 11.15 -
- CHARACTERS Roland Mitchell and James Blackadder
- QUOTATION the chapter starts with an epigraphic
quotation Randolph Henry Ash from The Garden of
Proserpina, 1861 in the chapter they are also
quoted Ashs letters which Roland stole. - FUNCTION to introduce storyline
- Roland is reading Vicos Principi di Scienza
Nuova and he finds two drafts of a letter which
R.H. Ash sent to an unknown lady. - Roland takes the drafts without telling to his
boss.
3CHAPTER II
- SETTING PLACE Rolands
House -
- TIME
during the evening - CHARACTERS Roland and Val
- QUOTATION the quotation refers to Ragnarök, a
poem in twelve books written by Ash. - FUNCTION to describe Roland, his house and the
relationship between Roland and Val - .
4CHAPTER III
The chapter begins with a quotation from Ash s
work and continues with narration, a comment
written by Roland and a letter of Ash and
narration again.
PLACE Bloomsbury s library
SETTING 1
TIME June 4
CHARACTER Roland
TIME Morning
PLACECrabbs breakfast
SETTING 2
CHARACTERS Ash, Christabel , Miss LaMotte and
Miss Glover
SETTING 3
PLACE British Museum
Blackadder, Fergus,Paola and Cropper
CHARACTERS
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER
the function is to introduce the relationships
between characters and the possible connection
between Ash and Christabell La Motte.
5CHAPTER IV
The chapter is made up by a quotation of
Christabel, narration, pages from Blanches
Journal of our home self and narration again.
PLACE Womens Centre
SETTING 1
CHARACTERS Roland and Moud
PLACE Lincoln university
SETTING 2
CHARACTERS Roland and Moud
TIME Breakfast
SETTING 3
CHARACTERS Miss Glover, Miss LaMotte,Mr Robinson
SETTING 4
PLACEMoud s house
TIME Night
CHARACTERS Roland and Moud
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER
the function is to introduce a new character,
Maud, creating more suspense with Blanche's
journal and tell about the progress of Rolands
research
6CHAPTER V
The chapter is made up by a quotation of Ash ,
narration, letters written by Ash and
Christabell and narration again.
PLACE Seal Court ( Christabels grave)
SETTING 1
TIME Morning
CHARACTERS Moud and Roland
SETTING 2
PLACEBaileys house
CHARACTERS Moud ,Roland, George and Joan
SETTING 3
PLACE Christabel s bedroom
TIME night
CHARACTERS Moud, Roland ,Ash and Christabel.
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER
to create suspense and curiosity around the
presumed relationship between Ash and Christabel
with the discovery of their corrispondence.
7CHAPTER VI
The chapter is made up by narration, a letter
written by R. H. Ash (only letter written to a
child by him), narration again, autobiographical
sketches by Mortimer Cropper and narration again.
SETTING 1 PLACE Mrs Wapshott's
bathroom (outskirts of Preston)
TIME 3 o'clock
a.m. CHARACTERS Mortimer Cropper, Mrs
Wapshott SETTING 2 PLACE
Everblest House, Tresure Cabinet(New Mexico)
TIME His early
life (Autobiographical sketches) CHARACTERS
Cropper, Priscilla Cropper
SETTING 3 PLACE Barret's Hotel
(Piccadilly) CHARACTER Cropper
8CHAPTER VI
SETTING 4 PLACE "Cavern which
shelters the source of the Sorgue"
TIME a June day in 1848
(Extract from "The Great Ventriloquist") CHARACTE
RS the poet and his new bride
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER to introduce a new
character Mortimer Cropper. The writer
describes his physical aspect, his personality,
his thoughts and his way of acting. His
autobiographical sketches are an important
element for the reader to better understand his
personality. Thanks to the letter written by
Ash the reader can also understand a farther
feature of his personality.
9CHAPTER VII
The chapter is organized into narration, pages
from Ellen Ash's diary and narration again.
SETTING 1 PLACE "Ash factory"
TIME
morning CHARACTERS Beatrice Nest, professor
Bengtsson (he ruled the English Department of
Prince Albert College), Roland Michell SETTING 2
PLACE Putney basement
CHARACTERS Roland, Val, Euan MacIntyre
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER to introduce two new
characters, Beatrice Nest and Euan MacIntyre.
Both will play an important role in the story.
Moreover further information about Ash's wife is
provided thanks to some pages from her diary.
10CHAPTER VIII
The chapter is made up by narration and letters.
SETTING 1 PLACE Bailey's
library
TIME before breakfast was over CHARACTERS
Roland, Maud, Joan Bailey SETTING 2
PLACE Bailey's library
TIME Supper's time CHARACTERS
Roland, Maud, Joan Bailey SETTING 3
PLACE Maud's flat
TIME night CHARACTER Maud
11CHAPTER VIII
SETTING 4 PLACE Seal Court
TIME the next
day (breakfast, afternoon, supper's
time) CHARACTERS Maud, Roland, the Baileys
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER to involve the reader in
the progress of the research and to show him/her
the new discoveries and hypothesis about the
mistery.
12CHAPTER IX
This chapter is made up by a story, the title of
which is The Threshold, written by Christabel
LaMotte.
SETTING PLACE a heath
TIME one day
CHARACTERS the old woman, the Child, three
beautiful ladies FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER to
help the reader create an idea of Christabel's
style of writing.
13CHAPTER X
Chapter X is a very long chapter because it deals
with the letters written between Ash and LaMotte
as a matter of fact the title of the chapter is
The Correspondence.
CHARACTERS Christabel LaMotte and R.
Ash FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER makes clearer the
situation to the reader he can follow the
development of the relationship between the two
Victorian poets as well as make his own
conjectures. The letters reveal important
elements for the progress of the plot.
14CHAPTER XI
Chapter XI consists of Ashs Swammerdam. Swammerda
m was a Dutch expert in natural history. He
dedicated his activity mainly to the study of
insects anatomy and biology. Thanks to the
letters of the previous chapter, the reader knows
that it was written by Ash
15CHAPTER XII
Chapter XII starts with a quotation from a
Christabel's work and after that starts the
narration. Going on reading the reader comes
across two letters written by Ash to his wife
Ellen. Before and after some pages taken from
Ellen's diary there is narration after that
there is a letter written by Blanche Glover to
Ash and again narration until the end of the
chapter.
SETTING 1 - NARRATION PLACE the house called
Bethany, in Richmond, and a bar near the church
TIME a sunny day in April CHARACTERS Maud,
Roland In this part of narration there is a
flashback in which the reader comes to know a
piece of information about what Roland and Maud
did in January. SETTING 2 - LETTERS
1. PLACE Robin Hood's bay
2. TIME 15th June
16CHAPTER XII
SETTING 3 - NARRATION PLACE The bar near the
church in Richmond TIME a sunny day in
April CHARACTERS Maud, Roland SETTING 4 -
NARRATION (conversation between Val and Maud -
argument between Roland and Val) PLACE Roland's
flat CHARACTERS Maud, Roland and Val SETTING 5
- NARRATION PLACE British Library TIME the
day after the conversation between Val and
Maud CHARACTERS Maud, Beatrice Nest
17CHAPTER XII
SETTING 6 - ELLEN'S DIARY PLACE her house TIME
4th June 1859 6th June
7th June 9th June 10th
June 12th June June
July CHARACTERS The speaking voice is Ellen
and in the pages of her diary she tells the
reader about other characters like her husband,
Patience, the Master, Bertha, Herbert Baulk.
18CHAPTER XII
SETTING 7 - NARRATION PLACE British
Library TIME the day after the conversation
between Val and Maud CHARACTERS Maud, Beatrice
Nest SETTING 8 - NARRATION PLACE Blackadder's
office TIME After the conversation with
Beatrice CHARACTERS Maud, Fergus Wolff
19CHAPTER XII
SETTING 9 - NARRATION PLACE Oodles, the
vegetarian restaurant at the end of Museum
Street TIME two days later CHARACTERS Roland,
Maud FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER The chapter has
the function of explaining a part of the mistery
of the book, but, at the same time, it keeps the
attention of the reader alert and creates
suspance.
20CHAPTER XIII
The chapter begins with a quotation from Ash s
work and continues with narration, Ashs
letter to Ellen and narration again.
SETTING 1
PLACE The Cliff (Scarborough)
TIME Dinner
Characters Roland and Moud
SETTING 2
PLACE Flamborough
TIME Morning
Characters Roland and Moud
PLACE Port of Whitby
SETTING 3
Characters Roland and Moud
21PLACE Jewelry store
SETTING 4
Characters Roland and Moud
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER
The function of the chapter is to make the reader
aware about what Roland and Maud want to do and
about the relation between Moud and Christabel
22CHAPTER XIV
The chapter begins with a quotation from Ash s
work and continues with Ashs letter to Ellen
and narration again..
Boggle Hole.
PLACE
SETTING 1
CHARACTERSRoland and Moud
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER
To make a parallelism between what Christabel and
Ash had done and what Maud and Roland do .
23CHAPTER XV
The chapter is made up by a quotation of Ash and
narration.
PLACERailway carriege
SETTING 1
TIME Morning
CHARACTERS Ash and Christabel
PLACE The Cliff (dining- room)
SETTING 2
TIME Afternoon
CHARACTERS Ash and Christabel
SETTING 3
PLACE the cliff ( bedroom)
TIME Night
CHARACTERS Ash and Christabel
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER
to inform the reader about the development of the
relationship between Christabel and Ash.
24CHAPTER XVI
the chapter is made up by Christabel s work
the Fairy Melusine .
CHARACTERSFairy Melusine is described with
suspance and terror, everybody is afraid of her
and she is half snake and half human and the
cavalier , the narrator describes initially his
behaviours subsequently the reader come to know
his name Raimondino and how he does in front of
a misterious woman , he is abducted by her she
is the Fairy Melusina.
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER
to introduce a Christabels poem to put her
personality into a better focus through her
writings
25CHAPTER XVII
The chapter is made up by a comment of Blackadder
and narration
SETTING 1
PLACE Blackadders study
CHARACTERS Blackadder and Paola
PLACE Vals house
SETTING 2
CHARACTERS Val and Fergus
SETTING 3
PLACE LEscargot
TIME About 12 oclock
Characters Cropper and Hildebrand Ash
26SETTING 4
PLACEstreet of Soho
CHARACTERS Fergus and Cropper
THE FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER
to make the point of the situation and to inform
the reader about Croppers and Ferguss
intentions.
27CHAPTER XVIII
The chapter begins with a quotation from
Christabel s work ,continues with narration, a
letter of Blanche and narration again.
SETTING 1
PLACE Women's study resources centre
CHARACTERS Moud,Roland and Leonora
SETTING 2
PLACEMouds house
TIME Night
CHARACTERSMoud and Leonora
SETTING 3
PLACE Shop of Lincoln
TIMEMorning
CHARACTERSMoud and Leonora
28CHAPTER XIX
The chapter starts with a quotation from The City
of Is by LaMotte, then follows the narration,
after that Sabines diary and finally a page of
scraps of poetry.
SETTING 1 - NARRATION PLACE
cabin on the Prince of Brittany
TIME night
CHARACTERS Roland and Maud SETTING 2 -
NARRATION PLACE Nantes
TIME breakfast time CHARACTERS Roland,
Maud, Ariane Le Minier SETTING 3 - NARRATION
PLACE Finistere TIME
the following day CHARACTERS Roland, Maud,
Ariane Le Minier
29SETTING 4
PLACESir Georges house
CHARACTERS Moud, Leonora and Sir George
THE FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER
to provide information and possible reason for
Blanches suicide.
30CHAPTER XX
The chapter is introduced by a LaMottes work,
then starts the narration,after that there is a
letter,narration, a quotation from The Great
Ventriloquist, narration again, a quotation from
The Shadowy Portal and finally narration again.
SETTING 1- NARRATION PLACE
City church CHARACTER Cropper SETTING 2 -
LETTER written by Christabel
LaMotte to Mrs Cropper CHARACTERS Christabel,
Mrs Leer SETTING 3 - The Great Ventriloquist
PLACE spiritual seance CHARACTERS
Ash, Mrs Lees
31CHAPTER XXI
- Quotation from ASHs Mummy Possest
32CHAPTER XXII
- SETTING PLACE the characters
are at the horse races in Newmarket - TIME we
can suppose that the scene takes place in the
late - afternoon
or evening because the characters speak about
dinner - that they
have to eat. - CHARACTERS Val and her new boyfriend Euan
MacIntyre who is a member of a - syndicate Toby Byng is introduced to Val by
Euan, Toby is one of the partners.
33CHAPTER XXIII
- SETTING PLACE Baie des
Trépassés in Brittany (France) Nantes - CHARACTERS Maud Roland R.H. Ash Christabel
LaMotte Leonora J. - Blackadder M. Cropper.
- FUNCTION in the first part of the chapter it is
showed the relationship between Maud - and Roland which is growing. They are discussing
about the future of Christabels - child. The second part of the chapter sees other
three characters Leonora, Blackadder - and Cropper that are also in the hotel.
34CHAPTER XXIV
- SETTING PLACE they are in
Lincoln - TIME
October - CHARACTERS Maud Val and her boyfriend Euan
Roland - QUOTATION at the beginning of the chapter it is
mentioned a passage of Freud. - FUNCTION the reader comes to know that the
letters belong to Maud.
35CHAPTER XXV
- SETTING PLACE Ashs house
- TIME
November 25th 1889 - CHARACTERS Ellen (Ash wife), Christabel
LaMotte, R.H. Ash, Blanche - QUOTATIONS it is quoted Ellen Ashs Journal
which dates back November 25th - 1889. There is also another quotation which
belongs to M. Cropper, The Great - Ventriloquist. Finally there is also a letter
written by Christabel LaMotte which is - addressed to Ash.
- FUNCTION the reader can understand the
relationship between Ash and his wife and later
he/she can also understand Ellens reactions.
36CHAPTER XXVI
- CHARACTER Roland
- QUOTATIONS an extract taken from Ashs The
Garden of Proserpina - FUNCTION
- the chapter explains what happens to Roland. He
gets job offers from the University of Hong Kong,
the University of Amsterdam and the University of
Barcelona. He also gets a letter from his boss,
Blackhadder.
37CHAPTER XXVII
- SETTING PLACE Beatrice
Nests house - CHARACTERS Cropper Roland Maud Leonora
Blackadder Nest Val Euan and - Beatrice.
- QUOTATIONS also chapter twenty-seven starts with
a quotation which is taken from - Ash poem.
- FUNCTIONthe chapter makes clear who the letters
belong to
38CHAPTER XXVIII
- SETTING PLACE Hodershall
- TIME
October 15th , 1 a.m. - CHARACTERS Roland Michell Maud Bailey Beatrice
Nest James Blacjadder - Leonora Stern Mortimer Cropper Hildebrand Ash.
- QUOTATION Letter of Christabel LaMotte addressed
to Ash. - FUNCTION let the reader know how the story and
the relationship between Ash and LaMotte
finished.
39SETTING 4 - SABINES DIARY
PLACE begun at the Manoir de Kernemet
TIME 13th October 1859, 14th October, Sunday,
Friday, Tuersday, Saturday, Friday, 28th October,
Friday, 1st November ( late at night), 2nd
November, November, Christmass night 1859, 31
December, late January, February, April,
Tuersday, 30th April, 1st May, 8th May , 9th May,
10th May.
CHARACTERS Sabine, Christabel, Sabines father,
Gode
GODES STORY CHARACTERS a sailor, the millers
daughter, the smiths daughter (Jeanne)
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER The function of the
chapter is to show the reader what happened to
Christabel LaMotte when she was pregnant and
after she had had the baby, from the point of
view of Sabine, her cousin.
40SETTING 4 - NARRATION PLACE
London Library CHARACTER Cropper SETTING 5 -
NARRATION CHARACTERS Blackadder
SETTING 6 - The Shadowy Portal
PLACE spiritual seance, Miss Judges
house CHARACTERS Mrs Lees, Miss Judge, Ash,
Miss Neve, Miss LaMotte, Mrs Furry SETTING 7 -
NARRATION PLACE Events in
Dept CHARACTERS Blackadder, Leonora Stern,
Shushila Patel
FUNCTION OF THE CHAPTER to make some points
clear, thanks to the reading of quotations from
The Great Ventriloquist and from The Shadowy
Portal.
41POSTSCRIPT 1868
- SETTING PLACE in a meadow
- TIME on a
hot May day - CHARACTERS R.H. Ash and May (Maia Thomasine
Bailey) - There is a dialog between the two people.
- FUNCTION the reader comes to know how Ash met
his daughter and their short conversation.