Cold

This is the middle story in AS Byatt’s Elementals collection, so I hope that the order of reading isn’t important…

I had never read any AS Byatt, but on the strength of various comments from trusted sources she had got as far as my mental TBR list.  As I might have mentioned before, the mental TBR list is a transient construct at best, and in no sense because the titles are swiftly read… 

But when a reference to this particular work turned up on a website concerned with Asperger’s Syndrome, my interest was reawakened.  The reference was, I thought, a little  vague:

“Some adults with Asperger’s Syndrome are now examining the works of famous authors for indications of the unusual perception and reasoning associated with Asperger’s Syndrome. One example is the short story, “Cold” in ‘Elementals: Stories of Fire and Ice’ by A.S. Byatt.”

I was, and remain, unsure of the implications here.  Consultation with a more Byatt savvy friend produced the cautious response that the story may be concerned with AS.  (Confusing? AS (here) equals the condition and not the author.)

The point, (there is one, and its arrival is imminent) runs thus: I approached the story with highly defined expectations.  I wonder if an AS connection would have been apparent had I not been primed to look for it.

Cold is a fairytale of princesses and princes and magical attributes.

The story opens with the birth of a perfect baby girl, wonderfully described.  As the story progresses and the baby deviates from the norm, the alarm which any parent would feel in this circumstance is evoked perfectly.  As the royal family strive to restore the status quo they could scarcely desire the restoration of their perfect baby more urgently than does the reader.

As it becomes apparent that the restorative measures merely stifle and harm the child, the reader and parent diverge, particularly as it emerges that the parents had prior knowledge of the nature of their daughter’s “strangeness.”  Denial is not a concept which I readily associate with fairytale, but it certainly goes hand in hand with AS.

The story continues, a fable of difference, acceptance, and a conclusion which contrives to be positive, whilst stating firmly that there are characteristics which may be accommodated but not changed.  My conclusion with respect to AS; the theme is consistent throughout, with a depth of detail which in places I was not sufficiently conversant to appreciate.

A quick rummage around the internet reveals that for many this story is about masculine dominance at the expense of women.  There is also a heavy emphasis on creation and colour, of which I made very little.  An intricate little story with a lot of scope, the fairytale aspect should not be overlooked.   Visually appealing and containing all the requisite ingredients, pleasing in its own right.

I think it would be a mistake, on such a slim pretext as an e-space comment, to look in this story for specific information or illumination, but it is an uplifting account of prejudice overcome (up to a point), and difference accepted and welcomed.