Has musicologist character. (Roger Evans)

amazon PD: The grotesque idol discovered in Bishop Eorpwald's tomb has scandalized, mystified and inspired a whole generation of scholars. As a young man Gerald Middleton was involved with the dig. Now an eminent historian, he is none the less haunted by a sense of failure both as a man and as a scholar.

Peer pressure and class consciousness and repression of various sorts combine in this 50s set novel about a suppressed archaeology scandal coming back to bite a historian's conscience. The long arm of coincidence is deployed to keep a small but diverse cast of characters crossing and re-crossing, but despite betrayals and disappointments it ends in a state of grace. I wish I had read this years ago. ( )

2392 Anglo-Saxon Attitudes a novel by Angus Wilson (read 25 Jun 1991) I noticed Angus Wilson died recently and in his obituary he was described as one of the five great post-World War II novelists--the others: Graham Greene, Iris Murdoch, Doris Lessing and ____. Since I had read something by all of the others I thought I should read something by him. This book reminded me of Point Counter-Point, by Aldous Huxley and read by me in 1950 and chosen by me as the best book read in 1950 (I only read 14 books that year). Anyway, I found this book absorbing. It tells of Gerald Middleton, a medieval history professor, and his involvement with his awful wife and three kids--all terrible people--and an excavation of a seventh century (fictional) bishop's--Eorpwald--tomb, where an idol had been put in the casket by Gilbert Stokesay. There are a lot of side stories, and towards the end the plot becomes ridiculous, and the people more so. But except for his adulterous period Gerald Middleton--64 at the time of the novel--is a fairly interesting person. But on balance the book is over-written and seeks to over-sensationalize and is not really very credible. But I might read more of Angus Wilson. [So far, I have not.] ( )

Dr. Borck recommended this book to me about a year before he died of kidney failure. The title is taken from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass.
There's a very convenient, and very lovely, little character list at the beginning of the book, so you know who's who. You know who each character is. But they don't know that you know. But you know that they don't know that you know. It is empowering. And splendid.