The French Lieutenants Woman essays

The French Lieutenant's Woman essays In The French Lieutenants Woman by John Fowles, the author explores the parallel processes of reading and writing (Hagen,439). In chapter 47, Fowls uses both romance and mystery as an effective strategy for provoking reader interaction. Patricia Hagens Revision Revisited: Reading (and) The French Lieutenants Woman helps to further explain this idea. Throughout the book and especially in this chapter, Sarah Woodruff maintains a sense of mystery that proves to be essential in bringing about an interaction between the readers, characters, and the author. By this point, the plot has fully developed and it is no longer the authors decision of how the story line will end, but the choice of the characters. In chapter 47, Charles realizes that Sarah was a virgin, and must deal with the fact that everything she has said and done was based on a lie. Throughout the novel, Charles has always seen Sarah as an angel, but now views her as the exact opposite, mad, evil, enlacing him in the strangest of nets...but why? (Fowles,354). This question fundamentally changes Charles from a character to an actual person. Based on this moment in the novel, the reader is forced to look at Sarah and Charles as more than just plot objects, but simply as human beings. Through this lens, the reader (re)constructs not only characters, plot, setting the traditional elements of fiction- but also the writing process itself (Hagen,443). Charless impression of Sarah changes, creating the potential for a twist of events. Consequently, the reader becomes so drawn with the writer and characters that the novel is no longer thought of as a finished work of literature, but a text in the process of becoming (Hagen,443). Nonetheless, Charles is confused as to why Sarah has lied to him. However, she herself is unable to explain her actions. This emphasizes her mysterious nature that keeps t...