The Contending Between Confinement And Freedom

This thesis intends to analyze the contending between confinement andfreedom reflecting in Possession to show how Christabel LaMotte’s tragedy comesout.The whole thesis consists of five parts. The Introduction generally introducesthe literary works and writing features of A.S.Byatt, with Possession being thehighlight part to clarify the significance of this novel; the previous researches aboutthis work; what double-voicedness and split personalities are, according to dialogictheory; and thesis organization. The first chapter elaborates, from the perspective ofdouble-voicedness, together with Christabel’s background and her fairy tales, onChristabel and her companion’s contending between traditional social values andtheir aspiration for the freedom to pursue an ideal life, revealing how ChristabelLaMotte leads to an unusual style of life. The second chapter focuses on the splitpersonality shown in the poems and letters of the protagonists and the effect of theiractions, to revel the contending between the confinements of Christabel LaMotte’ssocial identities and the desire for freedom in her real self. The third chaptercontinues the analysis of Christabel’s split personalities and her contending betweenthe confinement of guilt and the freedom for relief to show the end of ChristabelLaMotte’s tragedy. At last, the conclusion summarizes the reasons for Christabel’stragedy, Possession’s unique features, and the significance of making researches onPossession.