Love

Desire and "love" are the driving forces in the novel: Ash and Christabel's desire for one another is what led them to take the risk of pursuing an affair, but the desire of various scholars to uncover the truth about what happened is what motivates much of the action of the plot. The novel's plot also makes it clear how one form of desire can generate another: Roland and Maud are at first driven by their desire to better understand the writers they love, but their pursuit of the mystery leads them to eventually feel romantic and sexual desire for each other. As Lisa Fletcher writes, "Roland and Maud’s dependence on the story of their Victorian counterparts; their romance is made possible by the secret Victorian romance they discover and pursue" (pg. 152).