Customer Reviews

Babel Tower

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Even though "The Babel Tower" is the third volume in a tetralogy, one need not have read the first two books to enjoy it. (I hadn't read any other novels by Byatt, and I dove right into this one.) This entry has been described as a novel of the Sixties, but such a characterization is misleading. Byatt never really leaves the ivory tower: the turbulence of the streets, the counterculture, the mod scene, the social upheavals all remain on the periphery throughout. The novel depicts more calm than storm, exploring instead the far narrower (but still interesting) milieu of the literati.

Byatt presents two parallel plots. After the death of her sister, Frederica (the subject of all four novels) is trapped in a marriage that quickly seems unsuitable, eventually becomes oppressive, and finally turns violent. Since it's 1964, a divorce is not simply for the asking; after escaping with her son, she finds her suitability as a mother on trial (both literally and figuratively). The scenes describing the spousal abuse are among the most harrowing I've read, even though, compared with similar episodes in other works, the horror is more psychologically distressing than physically violent. Byatt explicitly links Frederica's subsequent emotional and legal ordeal with Lady Chatterley's trial (both of the book and of the character); Frederica represents a late-twentieth-century woman judged by lingering puritanical nineteenth-century standards.

The second story concerns a thematically similar trial: the ban of "Babbeltower," a book recommended to a publisher by Frederica that is subsequently deemed pornographic by the British government. Tame by today's standards (and even when compared to "Last Exit to Brooklyn," which served as Byatt's model), this fable portrays a sexually uninhibited utopia that evolves into a masochistic and totalitarian dystopia. The recently concluded obscenity trial of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" lingers in the background, although the prosecution asserts that "it was Lady Chatterley herself who was on trial, for the fact of her sexuality. In the case of 'Babbeltower' it is the prisoner in the dock who is on trial, his imagination, the world he created, the tendency of the messages he offers."

While "Babel Tower" is often riveting and stimulating, if Byatt herself were on trial, she might be found guilty of excess. Byatt's most obvious mentor is Iris Murdoch, whose influence she confirms in both the text and the acknowledgments. Murdoch, however, doesn't always spell out her many cultural, philosophical, and literary references; she leaves it for the reader to discover or disregard. Byatt, in contrast, seems to believe that her audience is not well-read; she assumes the role of literary critic for her own work. Her characters quote a dizzying parade of passages to each other, to themselves, or to the reader. Sometimes this approach works, but the technique reaches its nadir when she reprints Frederica's scrapbook, a collage of excerpts and scrambled texts(which Frederica herself correctly disparages as unsatisfying and incoherent). There's also a bizarre and not entirely satisfying subplot which evokes Cronenberg's "Dead Ringers" but can't match its creepiness; it involves identical twins, one of whom courts Frederica, while the other is a jealous psychopath.

Despite these excesses, Byatt still succeeds with her portrait of the young woman artist whose confusion is aggravated by clashes between desires and expectations, nonconformity and morality, literature and society.

Byatt has again challenged her readers. This text is a textured, involving story, picking up where the (I believe) slightly sophomoric "Virgin in the Garden" and "Still Life" left off. While the previous 2 books in the series were entertaining, they did not take the chances that "Babel Tower" did. In "Babel Tower," one gets a sense that Byatt is expanding herself -- her writing and her characterization -- in a similar way that "Posession" did. While "Babel Tower" is certainly not as fine as "Posession," one does get that same feeling of excitement and discovery by reading it. I might caution against the S&M tones of the novel's counterpoint (like "Posession," this text has an accompanying fictional text which drive sthe plot) -- not that it is particularly shocking, but rather that it sort of drifts out at times, not serving the main story as strongly as it might. It needed some further development to be an effective counterpoint, but it does serve adequately. All in all, a great read: it's involving, interesting, and has many layers, each with Byatt's usual attention to gorgeous detail.

I read and loved The Virgin in the Garden and Still Life and I couldn't wait to read more of Frederica Potter and her eccentric, intellectual family. Babel Tower centers on Frederica's struggles to free herself from her rich, abusive husband. She is now in a custody battle that could well end in disaster. As she regains her independence and begins to work as a teacher in London, Frederica ponders on the reasons she married someone with a different social and intellectual background. There is another legal fight in the story. Jude Mason, a rebellious man who is described as a hippie before his time, is sued for writing an "obscene book." What transpires is a story centered on the laws and prejudices in sixties London.

Babel Tower is my favorite part of this literary series. A.S. Byatt focuses on Frederica and her plights here more than on the previous novels. And the references to art and literature in this offering are especially engaging and insightful. I did miss the other members of the Potter family, but I loved reading about Frederica one more time. This is one beautiful novel and I so look forward to reading The Whistling Woman with utmost anticipation.

I found A.S. Byatt's elegant portraits of the late fifties in The Virgin in the Garden and Still Life immensely satisfying, and had wondered for some time before the publication of Babel Tower how she might approach the sixties. Babel Tower seems to represent a change of direction in her Yorkshire series. While its focus on the publication and subsequent prosecution of Babbletower is reminiscent of the dramatic chaos surrounding Astraea, which drives the narrative of The Virgin in the Garden, Babel Tower contains much more overt cultural analysis. At times this detracts from the Potter family narrative developed over the preceding books, however it seems neccessary in order to allow Byatt to evade a simplistic satire of the period. Her interweaving of cultural, social, political and environmental concerns of the time provides a valuable backdrop to Frederica's and Daniel's continued stories.

Character development is perhaps not as strong in this book as in The Virgin in the Garden or Still Life, although Leo Reiver and Agatha Mond represent useful additions to the cast. I was pleased to see peripheral characters-Jacqueline, Ruth and Thomas Poole-take on greater importance. However Ruth's retreat into religion was not entirely convincing and I felt that her increasing entanglement with Gideon's sect could have been better developed. Hopefully this sub-plot will be continued in the next installment.

On the whole, Babel Tower lacks some of the coherence of The Virgin... and Still Life, but it is worth noting that the events and period that Byatt documents in this work are not as easily defined as those of the previous two. She does very well with difficult material, and maintains the emotional force apparent in the rest of the series. Definitely a worthwhile read, and lovers of Byatt's incredible attention to detail would be well advised give it a second and third reading as well.

A. S. Byatt's Babel Tower integrates one woman's complicated journey into the story of the troubled 1960's with masterful results. Frederica has married an upper-class gentleman who expects her to stay at home and take care of their child without exercising her intellectual gifts or being allowed to see her friends. When he turns violent, she flees with her son back to London and her artistic peer group. In her part-time job reading unsolicited manuscripts, she comes across a vibrant, disturbing book called Babbletower and recommends it for publishing. The rest of the novel deals with Frederica's divorce trial and the prosecution of the novel for obscenity. All of it is set, however, in the swirling, chaotic upset of the 1960's and the redefinition of an entire culture's values.

Byatt is a masterful fiction writer. The many voices of the novel - Frederica's, the fanatic recluse author's, the liberal clergyman's, even Anthony Burgess' - are rendered in believable and splendid detail. We believe them all, whether they repulse us or not. The surrounding culture mirrors Frederica's changing identity - reading the Hobbit to her son, short skirts, hash brownies, happenings. Excerpts of Babbletower indeed read like a work of subversive genius - and it's all created by Byatt. I believe the English have an edge on the subtle development of character and plot. Read this great one to know how it's done.

A. S. Byatt has to be one of our greatest contemporary writers. POSSESSION remains one of my all time favorite books; and while I won't put BABEL TOWER in quite that category, it is very, very good. I read VIRGIN IN THE GARDEN several years ago and was somewhat disappointed. Even so, I read STILL LIFE which I liked and now BABEL TOWER which is the best of the three. I'm looking forward to the fourth book in the series and to anything new by Byatt.

This novel focuses on Frederica Potter's attempt to regain her autonomy after a stifling marriage and Jude Mason's "pornographic" novel and the trial against it. The relationship between these two stories is strained, and neither is especially compelling.

Frederica's position in life is one that many readers can, and want to identify with. In many ways, however, Byatt is not successful in making Frederica an appealing character. She is smart, but not emotional, and her rebellion lacks self-awareness. She seems to neither know nor care how her various relationships with men will be viewed by the outside world. Her love for her son Leo does appear to be genuine, but overall, she comes across as selfish rather than heroic or brave.

Jude Mason's story of an utopia gone wrong is not particularity original and the flowery language keeps the reader at distance. The connection between Mason and Frederica does not become apparent until over half way through the book, but which point the reader has either missed important information or has decided she/he doesn't care. Mason's character is not fully explored, such as his relationship to Daniel and the phone center, further weakening this section of the novel.

Overall, this is not Byatt's strongest work. It is not a unique story and is not particularly well told.

If you love books, don't miss out on this one! Get it for the summer holidays or something, because it will take time and concentration to read, but it is absolutely worth the effort. The intellectual precision of its essayistic passages echoes "The Man Without Qualities", but here it is combined with an increasingly fast-paced narrative which culiminates in two court-room dramas which are unputdownable. I enjoyed this book without having read "Still Live" or "The Virgin", so don't worry if you haven't read them either.

In my opinion, A.S Byatt is a master of language; as well as of the observations of both human nature and society. I was first introduced to her work with Possession, and have since then read everything I can.
Overall, Babel Tower is an amazing work of literature. As always, the prose flows together in perfect cadence; along with observations of a new revolution of traditional values versus new ideas of free thought, the change of language, and how one must suffer so greatly to be accepted by society and it's stiffling expectations.
Frederica; I continued to adore and be plagued by at the same time. However, one of my small problems with this book is that the character development did not seem to be as strong as Virgin in the Garden or Still Life. I also really missed and wanted to see more of Marcus, Jacqueline, Ruth, Daniel, and the old crowd of the previous two novels--I wanted to know more about how Daniel's children coped with their mother's death and simply more about one of my favorite literary families instead of the whole novel being almost all Frederica.
My only other small complaints are that sometimes the excerpts from Babbletower detracted from the book as well as some of Frederica's lamentations or reviews. My advice is to skim these parts--they don't really do much for the overall plot so you can get by with just a basic idea. Finally, there are parts in the novel that seem as if the prose and all the literary references are forced if not slightly pretentious, while the other two novels had a very natural flow while the intellectual ideas were not pretentious or showoffish. It seems as if Byatt was slightly stuck at these "humps", but she gets over it quickly enough.
But despite a few mild flaws, this is a very good novel. Perhaps not as polished as the others, but a gorgeously told story with brilliant social commentary and satire to top it off.
A great novel to read with any group of friends or a book club as there is so much to discuss with so many different takes. It does take awhile to get through, as is the case with all of Byatt's novels, but you will feel content with the overall book in the end-- even with the pretentious bits and an often tearjerking storyline.

As with all of A. S. Byatt's books, this is a tour de force, provoking strong reactions and emotions from most readers. There are very moving parts of this book, mostly addressing Frederica's relationship with her young son, and some dealing with her ambivalence to her abusive husband. I also think this is a very strong reflection of English society in the early 60s, with all of its complexity and contradictions.

However, I did not have the overall strong personal reaction to Frederica here that I do to other Byatt heroines. I guess I have always found Frederica difficult, through all three of the books centering on her, and this doesn't help me resolve my ambivalence. (I also suspect that we are supposed to be somewhat ambivalent towayr her as a character, so this is probably very successful on Byatt's part!)