The Corner That Held Them
The Corner that Held Them is a novel by Sylvia Townsend Warner, first published in 1948. It details the life of and lives inside a convent, from its establishment in the twelfth century through to 1382. It has been described by Philip Hensher as 'one of the most remarkable examples of a novelist rethinking what she can do with the novel as a form'. Plot. The novel covers the events occurring inside the convent of Oby, including the impact of Black Death in 1349, the admission of a fake priest into the ranks and the  ambitions of successive prioresses. Various characters commit fraud, corruption, murder, adultery and blasphemy. It is dramatic and comedic in tone. According to a New York Times article of 2019, "Characters ebb and flow from the foreground in a curiously swift historical rhythm, often killed off as soon as their stories have begun." Further information. Sylvia Townsend Warner appended an historical note to the Viking Press American edition which failed to appear in British editions