Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance

Aleyna Durmuş

Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance

Abstract

The article examines A. S. Byatt’s Possession: A Romance through a neomedievalist and postmodern lens by locating the novel’s twin narrative structure alongside the medieval allegory The Romance of the Rose. Drawing on Linda Hutcheon’s theory of historiographic metafiction, the study explores Byatt’s reimagination of the past not as a fixed historical origin, but as a layered, interpretive space where medieval, Victorian, and contemporary timelines come together and interact with one another. Through dialogic engagement with history, the novel foregrounds the act of reading as a mode of meaning-making across temporal divides. The analysis focuses on key spatial motifs, such as gardens, towers, and enclosed spaces, to explore how desire, possession, and identity formation unfold across these temporal strata. Within this framework, the rose, originally a symbol of courtly love, is reframed as a metaphor for desire’s continual deferral and reinterpretation. Byatt’s rewriting of medieval romance through Victorian and postmodern narrative structures reveals desire not as conquest or possession, but as a dynamic, non-possessive mode of relationality.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Aleyna Durmuş ^*
0000-0001-6750-4244
Türkiye

Publication Date

January 26, 2026

Submission Date

September 7, 2025

Acceptance Date

December 1, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: 5

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA23KT44JH

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Durmuş, A. (2026). Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance. Overtones Ege Journal of English Studies, 5, 35-45. https://izlik.org/JA23KT44JH

AMA

1.Durmuş A. Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance. Overtones. 2026;(5):35-45. https://izlik.org/JA23KT44JH

Chicago

Durmuş, Aleyna. 2026. “Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance”. Overtones Ege Journal of English Studies, nos. 5: 35-45. https://izlik.org/JA23KT44JH.

EndNote

Durmuş A (January 1, 2026) Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance. Overtones Ege Journal of English Studies 5 35–45.

IEEE

[1]A. Durmuş, “Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance”, Overtones, no. 5, pp. 35–45, Jan. 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA23KT44JH

ISNAD

Durmuş, Aleyna. “Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance”. Overtones Ege Journal of English Studies. 5 (January 1, 2026): 35-45. https://izlik.org/JA23KT44JH.

JAMA

1.Durmuş A. Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance. Overtones. 2026;:35–45.

MLA

Durmuş, Aleyna. “Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance”. Overtones Ege Journal of English Studies, no. 5, Jan. 2026, pp. 35-45, https://izlik.org/JA23KT44JH.

Vancouver

1.Aleyna Durmuş. Bridging Temporal Gaps from Medieval to Postmodern in Byatt’s Possession: A Romance. Overtones [Internet]. 2026 Jan. 1;(5):35-4. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA23KT44JH