The Chymical Wedding by Lindsay Clarke
"The Chymical Wedding" is a narrative exploring themes of personal crisis, creativity, and historical intrigue within a contemporary setting. The story follows Michael Darken, a poet struggling with a failed marriage and a stagnant writing career, who retreats to a quaint village in Norfolk for inspiration. There, he encounters a cast of characters, including the last scion of a feudal family and a pair of visiting poets, who are drawn into a quest centered around Louisa Agnew, a historical figure known for her contributions to alchemical research.
Parallel to Michael's journey is Louisa's own narrative, set in the mid-nineteenth century, where she grapples with her role as an apprentice to her father and the societal constraints of her time. As both timelines intertwine, themes of sexual tension, ambition, and existential conflict emerge, particularly illustrated through the relationships between the characters. Notable events include the arrival of a new vicar and the subsequent upheaval in his life, as well as the dramatic interactions between Michael and the other guests at the village. Ultimately, the story reflects on the transformative power of creativity and personal growth, as characters navigate their struggles and re-establish their artistic voices.
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The Chymical Wedding
First published: 1989
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—Magical Realism
Time of work: The 1980’s and the mid-nineteenth century
Locale: Norfolk, England
The Plot
British poet Michael Darken is at the end of his tether. His marriage to Jess has fallen apart, he is incapable of writing verse, and he is employed unsatisfactorily as a college lecturer. His sympathetic publisher lends him his weekend cottage, “The Pightle,” in Munding St. Mary’s, Norfolk, for the summer vacation. The village is still curiously feudal, dominated by Easterness Hall, and Ralph, the last of the dynastic Agnew family. Some opposition is provided by Michael’s nearest neighbor, Bob Crossley, a socialist and a stalwart of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Also present in the village, staying at the lodge as guests of Ralph, are Edward Nesbit and his young American assistant, Laura, a talented potter. Edward was a celebrated poet when Michael was young but has since dried up. Michael is drawn into their company and then into their quest, which is to discover what they can of Louisa Agnew, the last link in the Agnew tradition of alchemical research. They already have discovered the crucial date in 1848 when Henry was working on a poetic epic about the Hermetic mystery and Louisa, always his willing apprentice, offered to help by writing a prose treatise, “An Open Invitation to the Chymical Wedding.”
The other narrative strand is Louisa’s, setting out her inspired and dutiful nature while narrating events in the village of the mid-nineteenth century. The most important, in addition to Louisa’s assumed task, is the arrival of a new vicar, Edwin Frere, and his wife, Emilia. Fresh from Cambridge, Emilia clearly resents her separation from her family there. Soon Emilia becomes pregnant. After losing her baby, she demonstrates a formidable manipulative will and eventually returns to Cambridge, deserting Edwin.
As Michael moves into Edward and Laura’s world, he is alternately threatened and attracted by Edward; with Laura, it is only the former. He is aware that both are erudite and is menaced by Edward’s reading of the tarot and his insistence on Michael’s recounting of his dreams for interpretation. Gradually, Henry and Louisa intervene more in their lives.
Louisa seems to be blocked. Alchemy is set in a specifically sexual set of imagery, and she is a virgin. The deserted Edwin, tormented by sexual fantasies, reports to her, and their problems are assuaged temporarily. Similarly, as if possessed, Michael and Laura couple.
Both events lead to disaster. Edwin, a man of conscience, castrates himself. Louisa’s book is too explicit and provokes jealousy in her father. It is burned. Edward takes Michael to a place where he might kill him but suffers a massive heart attack. Michael’s prompt action saves him, though he is left in emergency care. The results, in the end, are not disastrous. Both Edward and Michael become able to write again. Laura is now alchemically virgin and thus is able to decide her own destiny. Edwin remains Louisa’s spiritual brother.