Interpretation and Analysis of John Fowles’s Postmodern Novel The Magus

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, University of Heidelberg, language: English, abstract: The Magus is John Fowles’s first written - though not first published - novel which he began to write in the 1950s. But only in 1977 after 12 years of revising did he publish the version he was finally satisfied with, which is the one [he wanted] to see reprinted. Its complexity and its richness of stories, symbolism and metaphors gained The Magus not only a lot of criticism but just as much success. The organised chaos of the masque distracts as well as interests and fascinates the reader. Even though there is no ‘real meaning of’ or ‘right reaction to’ the novel as such, there are possibilities of interpretation. The first part of this paper will be an interpretation of the most important features of the story, concentrating principally on Nicholas’s hunt for freedom, the symbolism of the women in the masque as well as the masque itself and the end. After that, the narrative techniques will be looked at more closely, leading to the question: In which aspects is The Magus postmodern?