Morpho Eugenia

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Morpho Eugenia
LC Class
PR6052.Y2 A83 1992b

Morpho Eugenia is a 1992 novella by A. S. Byatt first published in complete form with The Conjugial Angel as Angels & Insects. Named after a butterfly species, it details the key events of the life of a Victorian naturalist, William Adamson, at first seemingly struggling to move up in class and settle down with a beautiful, mysterious aristocrat, Eugenia. When he begins a study of garden ants with the household tutor, Matty Crompton, he discovers the endless layers of interpretation that hide truths (but not The Truth) behind what he has taken for granted about God, science, England, gender, and family.

The novella is notable for its use of blend of

hypertextuality
make it a postmodern work overall.

Reception

The novella received mixed reviews upon publication.

The London Review of Books meanwhile criticized the works as being "far more remote [...] than any Victorian fiction."[2]

Adaptation

The novella was adapted into the movie

Angels & Insects in 1995 directed by Philip Haas and starring Mark Rylance as William Adamson and Kristin Scott Thomas
as Matty Compton.

References

  1. Independent.co.uk
    . Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  2. ^ Barrell, John (19 November 1992). "When will he suspect?". London Review of Books. 14 (22). Retrieved 10 January 2015.