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From the Back Cover
Morpho Eugenia and The Conjugial Angel are two fascinating novellas and like A. S. Byatt's Booker Prize-winning novel, POSSESSION, they are set in the mid-nineteenth century, weaving fact and fiction, reality and romance.
'Her plot is as compelling as that of a classical detective story, but it is the quality of the writing - its use and unity of metaphor, its sensuous language, its wit and intellectual playfulness - which renders it remarkable' Amanda Craig, Literary Review
'A. S. Byatt is one of our finest living novelists, who manages to tease and to satisfy both the intellect and the imagination ... I am already a convinced admirer of the works of A. S. Byatt. ANGELS & INSECTS should win over many more enthusiasts' Caroline Moore, Daily Telegraph
'Victorian and fun ... marvellous and maddening ... a display and a delight' Nicci Gerrard, Observer
'Her best work to date' Times Literary Supplement
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"Morpho Eugenia" introduces us to a young naturalist named William, who until recently had been studying insects in the Amazon. He was shipwrecked, then rescued by the wealthy Alabaster family. While continuing to study butterflies, he marries the beautiful eldest daughter Eugenia and for a time, lives the good life. The only problem is that unknown to him, Eugenia is wrapped up in a lifelong tangle of obsession and incest.
"The Conjugial Angel" introduces us to a group of mediums who gather to call up spirits. Mrs. Papagay is still in love with the dead Arturo. Emily mourns her dead lover, immortalized in her brother Alfred Tennyson's "In Memoriam" -- except she has married again. Now she struggles with her past emotions, her present doubts, and her longing to communicate with her love again.
As in her prior works, Byatt's writing is almost dizzily lush. She has a good sense of detail, describing ribbons, moths, butterfly wings, and the flames of gaslights. But pretty words are not all that Byatt has to offer -- she makes use of poetry (her own, and that of others), Darwinism and religious faith, Swedenborg, a family whose opulence covers their decay, and the nuances of love. Not to mention the dialogue: Eugenia's rambling explanation about her relationship with her brother is chilling.
Perhaps best of this collection is that Byatt has a fantastic grasp on period descriptions and dialogue -- it all sounds like a novel from the 19th centuy, with the polish of a modern book. Which is not to say that "Angels and Insects" is perfect. Byatt spends a little too much time on the moths and too little on the Alabaster family. And she's not at her best in "Conjugial Angel," which lacks the punch of the first novella. It's moving at the end, but takes awhile to get there.
Delving into such topics as survival of the fittest, poetry and love, Byatt produces a solid pair of novellas written in her usual sensuous prose. Despite some flaws that bog it down, this is a unique read.
The first in this collection was wonderful. The mood is languid and slightly melancholy, the plot ambles along amidst interesting characterisations and beautiful descriptions round off the narrative, with a subtle twist at the end.
The second, while beautifully written, was a triumph of style over plot. The forbidden undercurrents somewhat redeem the novella though, and Tennyson's personal history provides some of the structure in this otherwise overly slow tale.
Byatt is known for the large amount of research she does for each book... and a tendancy to want to put it all on display! Perhaps there is rather too much about insect names in here, irrelevant to the plot and somewhat tedious. However, there is also, fortunately, much to enjoy.
The plight of William the poor northern Naturalist was a credible enough premise, and I enjoyed the intellectual debates between him and his wealthy father-in-law. I was however puzzled why the old man needed Wiliam's help to set down his opinions, and why he felt such a failure over the results. The father's compositon set out in full here (incorporating Tennyson's poetry) was surely worthy of being printed in many a journal or magazine of the day.
I liked the analogy of the ant colony as a comparison with the workings of the house. The skullery maid and her daily duty of beetle collecting was a nicely Hardyesque touch, as was her tragic fate (like Fanny in Far From the Madding Crowd.)
The writing of William and Matty's ant book was well done, especially the ambitious, provocative coda which mused on freedom of action and predestination.
Best of all were the moments that poetically illustrated the emotions of the characters. The clouds of butterflies and moths, in the context of William and Eugenia's attraction, was a very powerful scene, again worthy of Hardy. Sadly, some of the rest of the story failed to come up to such a standard. Overall it was not the sum of its highly promising parts.
The plot twist featuring the brother had shock value, but was undone with the fatuous inclusion of the INSECT anagram in the following scene. It seemed too contrived, and I felt manipulated bythe author. And why did we have to have to endure in its entirety that tedious meandering fairy story of Matty's, "Things are not what they seem"? I went off the character of Matty by the time I'd waded through that section.
Overall then, a very promising set-up which goes off the rails somewhat. A shame. I would be interested to see the film that was made of this story, and whether some of the weaker elements were ironed out.
The first story, Morpho Eugenia was a rather interesting, romantic, and slightly racey... Read more
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