Canadian author
Robertson Davies wrote three novels about the Cornish family; What's Bred in the Bone
is the second of the trilogy. It is the story of Francis Cornish, who
might have become a great artist if only he didn't have to conceal his
identity. The story is related by two supernatural beings
— Francis's daimon, who steered him toward a destiny of
heroic deceit, and a biographical angel.
Francis has an unusual childhood. Since his parents are off doing
British intelligence work and don't seem much interested in him anyway,
he is raised in his maternal grandparents' wealthy home in a remote
part of Ontario. The unmarried great-aunt who lives there oversees
Francis's upbringing, inculcating him in Catholic pieties even though
his British father wants him raised Protestant. Francis discovers
he has a handicapped brother hidden in the attic. The local undertaker,
who transports not only bodies but also bootlegged alcohol for
Francis's grandfather, lets Francis observe embalmings; Francis
develops his drawing talent by sketching the corpses.
Despite it all, Francis seems to be on the road to success, going to
Oxford to study art and philosophy after college in Canada. Following
in his father's footsteps, he is recruited by the British secret
service and assigned to paint forgeries in an effort to scam the Nazis.
In one painting, Francis attempts to reconcile the contradictions
within himself. When it is hailed as a "16th-century" masterpiece,
Francis not only can't claim authorship but has his own painting career
derailed. He can't risk continuing to paint in the style of the
forgery, but that is his authentic personal vision, and he's not able
to express himself in the methods of his own time. Francis spends his
later life — the shortest section of the book — as
an increasingly eccentric art collector and expert.
What's Bred in the Bone is not only a tale of a life but a meditation
on art and artists. Those who feel that much 20th-century art doesn't
speak to them will enjoy Francis's intelligent criticism of it. He
believes the symbols and methods of the Renaissance painters were more
expressive and genuine.
Those wanting to begin with the first book in Davies's Cornish trilogy
should read The Rebel
Angels (1983). The series concluded with The Lyre of Orpheus
(1988).
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