'They Are and Were There': On Byatt's Possession

Forthcoming, Social Research

5 Pages Posted: 28 Aug 2017

See all articles by Cass R. Sunstein

Cass R. Sunstein

Harvard Law School; Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

Date Written: August 16, 2017

Abstract

How well can anyone know a historical figure? How well can one person know another? What really matters? This essay explores those questions as explored in A.S. Byatt’s masterpiece, Possession. A novel or a romance will not give crisp answers to such questions, but Byatt’s answers, at once life-affirming and heartbreaking, are the right ones.

Suggested Citation

Sunstein, Cass R., 'They Are and Were There': On Byatt's Possession (August 16, 2017). Forthcoming, Social Research, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3020108

Cass R. Sunstein (Contact Author)

Harvard Law School ( email )

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Cambridge, MA 02138
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Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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