John Fowles

"The French Lieutenant's Woman"

The story is set in the middle of the Eighteenth Century and revolves around a woman named Sarah Woodruff, who is also known as "Tragedy" and "The French Lieutenant's Whore." She is referred to as the novel's titular "woman." Sarah had a relationship with a French ship's officer named Varguennes but has now been abandoned in the coastal city of Lyme Regis. Varguennes has left her and married another woman, leaving Sarah alone.

In her solitude, Sarah spends her leisure time at The Cobb, a stone jetty near her location, where she often gazes out towards the sea. One day, her presence is noticed by two individuals named Charles Smithson and Ernestina Freeman. Charles, an orphaned gentleman, is engaged to Ernestina, who happens to be the daughter of a wealthy businessperson.

As Charles and Ernestina discuss Sarah and her circumstances, Charles finds himself increasingly intrigued by her. Despite being in a relationship with Ernestina, Charles starts making deliberate efforts to encounter Sarah as frequently as possible. He tries to hide these encounters from his fianc?e, Ernestina, as he becomes more captivated by Sarah's presence.

As Charles and Sarah continue to meet and converse, Sarah opens up about her past to Charles. She shares her history and expresses her deep sense of isolation, seeking emotional and social support from him. Meanwhile, Charles himself is undergoing personal turmoil. Despite being next in line to inherit his wealthy uncle's estate, his uncle has started pursuing a relationship with a young woman capable of bearing a child. This child would then become the heir to Charles' uncle's wealth, leaving Charles in a precarious position.

In another storyline, Charles's servant named Sam falls in love with the

maid of Ernestina's aunt.

As time passes, Charles finds himself falling deeply in love with Sarah. He suggests that she should move to Exeter, presumably for a fresh start or better opportunities. In the midst of his own emotional turmoil and the developing bond with Sarah, Charles decides to travel and speak with Ernestina's father about the uncertain state of his inheritance. On his way back home, Charles stops in Exeter to visit Sarah, indicating the strength of his feelings towards her.

In an unexpected twist, the narrator intervenes in the story and informs the reader that there are three potential endings to the novel's narrative.

The first possible ending follows Charles' decision to bypass his visit to Sarah in Exeterand instead goes directly to Lyme to reaffirm his love for Ernestina. Although they enter into marriage, their relationship is not entirely happy. Charles becomes involved in business with Ernestina's father but keeps his encounters with Sarah a secret from his wife. He speaks negatively about Sarah and conceals the development of his feelings for her. The narrator dismisses this ending as a mere daydream of Charles'.

The second potential ending unfolds when Charles and Sarah engage in a sexual encounter, during which Charles realizes that Sarah is a virgin. The profound emotional impact of this encounter leads him to break off his engagement with Ernestina. He writes a letter to Sarah, proposing marriage. Unfortunately, the letter never reaches Sarah, and Ernestina's father publicly shames Charles for the failed engagement. To worsen matters, Charles' wealthy uncle's new wife becomes pregnant, securing an heir and dashing Charles' hopes of inheriting the fortune. Devastated, Charles decides to leave society behind to avoid further humiliation. He embarks on a journey to Europe and then America. Meanwhile, Sarah moves to London without notifying Charles. During his travels, Charles's lawyer searches for Sarah, and two years later, she is discovered living a content and artistic life with the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Sarah has a child resulting from her encounter with Charles. When Charles finally meets his baby, he feels hopeful that he can rekindle his relationship with Sarah.

In the third possible ending, the reunion between Sarah and Charles takes a different turn. This ending introduces ambiguity regarding the identity of the father of Sarah's child, leaving Charles uncertain if he was merely being used by Sarah.

Fowles' novel can be seen as a post-modern work due to its departure from conventional literary styles. The most notable deviation is how the book approaches its ending. By presenting three potential endings, Fowles reflects on the author's role in shaping the outcome of a story and the power they hold over the lives of their characters.

Various aspects of the book also align with post-modernism. The narrator possesses omniscient knowledge and goes beyond merely narrating the plot by offering additional insights and asides through extensive footnotes. The inclusion of footnotes in a fictional text is unexpected, as it is not a common practice in novels.

Another notable aspect of the text is the narrator's transformation into a character within the story. Although first-person narration by a character is not entirely groundbreaking,the introduction of the narrator as a character occurs relatively late in the plot, which adds to the narrative's uniqueness.

Critics have extensively examined and discussed the book's stylistic embellishments, such as its intertextuality and self-referential nature. The novel seems to possess an awareness of itself as a book, which modern audiences might describe as breaking the fourth wall, where the fictional world acknowledges its existence as a work of fiction.

Furthermore, the novel was adapted into a film in 1981, reaching a broader audience through the visual medium.