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What’s Bred in the Bone
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What’s Bred in the Bone

novel by Davies
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Article History

What’s Bred in the Bone, novel by Robertson Davies, published in 1985 as the second volume of his so-called Cornish trilogy. The other books in the trilogy are The Rebel Angels (1981) and The Lyre of Orpheus (1988). Two angels narrate this story about the mysterious life of a famous art collector named Francis Cornish. A curious blend of mythology, fable, religion, and astrology, the story emerges as Cornish’s quest for identity and self-knowledge, with the angels acting as commentators.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.