The passion of existence : a study of the themes of quest and self-knowledge in the fiction of John Fowles

[摘要] In this dissertation the contrasting male-female relationships in JohnFowles's fiction are examined. The main aim is to establish thethemes of quest and self-knowledge at the basis of a thematichierarchy which can be used to make a thematic analysis ofFowles's fiction.Chapter 1 of the dissertation discusses the major themes in Fowles'swork as identified by Simon Loveday (1985). However, I go onestep further by establishing a specific thematic hierarchy as an aid tothe analysis of Fowles's fiction.In chapters 2-8 this matrix is used in a thematic analysis of Fowles'snovels and short stories. A diachronic approach is used and eachnovel and short story is discussed in terms of the themes of questand self-knowledge and their relation to the other themes in Fowles'swork.The analyses of the texts in terms of the theoretical part of thedissertation lead one to come to the conclusion that the initialworking hypothesis has been proven a valid one: in each ofFowles's fictions there is a definite fixed pattern (with a slightvariation in The Collector, Mantissa, and A Maggot). The maleprotagonist sets out on a quest for an ideal woman. His contrastingrelationship with this woman leads him to self-knowledge, and evenif he sometimes fails to conquer this heroine, he emerges as a personwith existential authenticity. The quest is always an educationalprocess.A number of areas for further research are indicated in theconclusion.The themes of the male quest and self-knowledge form the nucleusaround which the thematic, structural and textual elements arewoven: it is without any doubt the determining factor in all ofFowles's fiction to date.

[发布机构] North-West University