# What is that novel?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-novel/943730>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** books-writing-myths\
**Created:** [June 7, 2021, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-novel/943730 "2021-06-07T00:57:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2021, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-novel/943730/1 "2021-06-07T00:57:10Z")

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A modern novel, a story within a story. The framing story is about a poor grad student whose focus is a famous 19th century poet, and how he and a woman discover the poet’s secret life through a series of adventures. The inner story is of the poet, and quite a bit of his poetry in an authentic 19th century style is included.

I read it some ten years ago and I cannot for the life of me remember the title or author.

It made a splash when it was published.

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**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2021, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-novel/943730/2 "2021-06-07T01:01:44Z")

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Possession, by A. S. Byatt?

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**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2021, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-novel/943730/3 "2021-06-07T09:01:42Z")

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YES. Thank you. Driving me mad, it was.