The Corner That Held Them

The Corner that Held Them is a novel by Sylvia Townsend Warner, first published in 1948. It details the life of and lives inside a convent, from its establishment in the twelfth century through to 1382. It has been described by Philip Hensher as 'one of the most remarkable examples of a novelist rethinking what she can do with the novel as a form'.[1][2]

Plot

The novel covers the events occurring inside the convent of Oby, including the impact of Black Death in 1349, the admission of a fake priest into the ranks and the ambitions of successive prioresses. Various characters commit fraud, corruption, murder, adultery and blasphemy.[3] It is dramatic and comedic in tone. According to a New York Times article of 2019,

"Characters ebb and flow from the foreground in a curiously swift historical rhythm, often killed off as soon as their stories have begun."[4]

Further information

Sylvia Townsend Warner appended an historical note to the Viking Press American edition which failed to appear in British editions[5]

References
  1. Townsend Warner, Sylvia (2000). The Corner That Held Them. Great Britain: Virago. pp. Introduction. ISBN 978-1-84408-804-1.
  2. "Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction". Kirkus Reviews.
  3. Sacks, Sam (October 18, 2019). "Fiction: A Napoleonic Game of Cat and Mouse" – via www.wsj.com.
  4. Livingstone, Josephine (2019). "Bad Bishops, Bloodletting and a Plague of Caterpillars". NY Times.
  5. Stobbs, Tanya (2015). "A Note on the Historical Background" (PDF). Core.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
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