The Abbess of Crewe
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Cover art by Linnet Gotch
The Abbess of Crewe is a novella[1] published in 1974 by Muriel Spark. It is centred on a Catholic convent in Crewe and the political intrigues surrounding the election of a new abbess, after the death of the former. It exhibits Spark's typical style of crossing seamlessly between temporal points in the narrative. Michael Lindsay-Hogg adapted the novel into his film Nasty Habits, released in 1977.[2] This book is considered an allegorical treatment of the Watergate scandal.[3]
At the beginning of the novel we are introduced to Alexandra, recently elected Abbess of Crewe, circumnavigating the issue of electronic bugging in the convent, while there is a visible police presence outside the gates. Alexandra is tall and elegant, 'like a tower of ivory'. She recites modern poetry in place of the traditional vespers and has the nuns given incantations on electronics. It soon becomes clear that there has been a scandal engulfing the convent and that another senior member of the convent, Felicity, formerly Alexandra's rival for the position of Abbess, has departed to live with a Jesuit priest.
The narrative switches to before the election of Abbess, to times soon before and soon after the death of the former abbess, Hildegarde. Most of the humour derives from Alexandra's implacable calm in the face of chaos and her guileful and downright Machiavellian treatment of her rival, Felicity, and the rest of the convent population. This includes the continuation of Hildegarde's video and audio surveillance systems, used to monitor all the nuns' activities, including Felicity's amorous romps in the garden.