The French Lieutenant's Woman

For the film based on the book, see The French Lieutenant's Woman (film).

The French Lieutenant's Woman
First US edition
AuthorJohn Fowles
LanguageEnglish
GenrePostmodern literature, romance novel, historical fiction, historiographic metafiction, pastiche
Published10 November 1969[1]
PublisherJonathan Cape (UK)
Little, Brown (US)
Publication placeGreat Britain
Media typePrint
Pages445
ISBN0-224-61654-4
OCLC40359110
823/.9/14
LC ClassPZ4.F788 Fr PR6056.O85

The French Lieutenant's Woman is a 1969 postmodern historical fiction novel by John Fowles. The plot explores the fraught relationship of gentleman and amateur naturalist Charles Smithson and Sarah Woodruff, the former governess and independent woman with whom he falls in love. The novel builds on Fowles' authority in Victorian literature, both following and critiquing many of the conventions of period novels.[2]

The book was the author's third, after The Collector (1963), and The Magus (1965). American Libraries magazine counted the novel among the "Notable Books of 1969".[3] Subsequent to its initial popularity, publishers produced numerous editions and translated the novel into many languages; soon after the initial publication, the novel was also treated extensively by scholars.[4] The novel remains popular, figuring in both public and academic conversations. In 2005 Time chose the book as one of the 100 best English-language novels since the magazine began publication in 1923.[5]

Part of the novel's reputation concerns its postmodern literary qualities, with expressions of metafiction, historiography, metahistory, Marxist criticism, and feminism. Stylistically and thematically, the novel has been described as historiographic metafiction.[6] The contrast between the independent Sarah Woodruff and the more stereotypical male characters often earns the novel attention for its treatment of gender issues.

The novel was adapted into a film of the same name in 1981, with script by the playwright Harold Pinter, directed by Karel Reisz, starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons. The film received considerable critical acclaim, including several BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.

  1. ^ "A Listing of New Books". The New York Times: 44. 10 November 1969.
  2. ^ Warburton 166.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference AmLib was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference hutcheon20-21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "All Time 100 Novels". Time. 16 October 2005. Archived from the original on 19 October 2005. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference hutcheon5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).