The Cornish Trilogy: The Rebel Angels; What's Bred in the Bone; The Lyre of Orpheus

Davies's Cornish trilogy should be read by anyone with an interest in the philosophy of art -- questions of attribution, forgery and fakery, and authenticity pervade all three novels, which deal with literature, painting and music respectively. Art in general, and art objects in particular, take on a shadowy, slippery aspect in spite of the very palpable (and almost erotically desirable) qualities they have for Davies's characters. Aesthetic and spiritual experience are intertwined. But the style, while elevated, is never dry or preachy -- the characters are rounded and often delightfully vulgar and even the most intellectual threads of the story are brimming with life and humour.

Robertson Davies' greatest strength has always been in his ability to create a protagonist whose adventures quickly intrigue you. One can debate the virtues of each novel in this trilogy, but the simple fact remains that as parts of a trilogy the story remains incomplete without reading all three. Stories as intriguing as this do not often appear. You will travel between a thinly veiled Toronto and war-torn Europe, through generations of a family and across decades of time. A master storyteller, you will need to pay close attention (perhaps create a family tree) to understand how everyone fits together. The literary allusions could have you researching for months, and pepper the pages with just enough spice to add creedence to the education levels of the characters. The main thread that ties all three books together is the main character, Reverend Simon Darcourt, who is on a quest to write the biography of a philanthropist with whom he was acquainted. To say that this is the entire story would be a gross understatement. The plot leaves few stones unturned in the lives of its characters, who three-dimensionally number in the dozens. Give yourself a lot of time to read this book, because once you start you won't be able to put it down.

While my favorite novel by Robertson Davies remains Fifth Business, a book so dazzling it leaves me almost speechless, I feel the three novels of The Cornish Trilogy--The Rebel Angels, What's Bred in the Bone and The Lyre of Orpheus--are more satisfying in the aggregate than The Deptford Trilogy. The middle novel, What's Bred in the Bone, is the lynchpin of the trilogy--the "biography" of Francis Cornish, a wealthy art collector and restorer who in time will be suspected of being an art forger, but who in reality is a great artist of high inward purpose. To remind us of Mark Twain's dictum that a man's true biography is what goes on in his own mind, the book is narrated by the two invisible spirits who served as Cornish's guardians on Earth--the only ones who will ever know the whole truth about him. What's Bred in the Bone is sandwiched in between The Rebel Angels, about mayhem and skulduggery among a group of academics when they inherit the bountiful legacy of the late Francis Cornish, and The Lyre of Orpheus, concerning the convoluted doings when a young musical genius tries to recreate an unfinished opera by E.T.A. Hoffmann. This book features a particularly rollicking gang of characters, including E.T.A. Hoffmann himself speaking from the grave. Davies' style glistens with his trademark scholarship and wit; his Jungian philosophy, deep spirituality and often profound insights into the artistic process make these novels important works of art as well as delightful semi-satiric, semi-fantasy romps. One major complaint I have about Davies is that all his characters tend to sound like erudite, well-settled, middle-aged men--fine for the Rev. Simon Darcourt, but not for Maria Theotoky Cornish, the 23-year-old, half-Gypsy beauty. Also, some of his set pieces simply go on too long, such as the contentious "Arthurian" dinner party thrown by Arthur and Maria Cornish. However, the totality of Davies' gifts is so enormous that I'm willing to forgive him his flaws.

Robertson Davies is one of the most erudite authors you will ever read. The sheer volume of his knowledge staggers me, his use of the English language leaves me green with envy. However, unlike Umberto Eco in "Foucalt's Pendulum" Davies' erudition is used, not to bludgeon the reader into awed submission, but to enrich. Davies' books are primarily great fun, his characters live, his stories grip, his descriptions evoke and his wit lightens. He is always a treat, and is one of those people whose name, whenever I read it, makes me smile. Buy this trilogy and you will very likely find these three stories among the best you have ever read. If you just buy "What's Bred in the Bone" you will become addicted and have to buy "The Rebel Angels" and "The Lyre of Orpheus" anyway, so save time and effort and buy this trilogy. Then buy the Salterton Trilogy and the Deptford Trilogy and everything else he ever wrote. If you have never read Robertson Davies you have a wonderful treat in store, I envy you.