| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 87 === John Fowles is an out-and-out magus. His novels arouse the interest of countless readers, but the juxtaposition of pairs of counterpoints usually confuse them a great deal. The concept of poles and counterpoles is central to Fowles’s novels as well as to his philosophical book, The Aristos. Among Fowles’s novels, The French Lieutenant’s Woman is particularly richer in the presentation of pairs of counterpoints and therefore is cited as a revealing example for the study of counterpoints. Instead of using an arbitrary perspective of binary opposition, the purpose of this thesis is to justify Fowles’s golden means in dealing with polar opposites.
This thesis will be divided into six chapters. Chapter one deals with the purpose of the study, and gives a definition of and a brief introduction to the concept of the pole and the counterpole in Fowles’s The Aristos. The polar opposites usually play an important part in Fowles’s novels. This thesis will present four pairs of counterpoints: the Victorian period versus the postmodern period, reality versus fiction, freedom versus duty, and the upper class versus the lower class.
Chapter two analyzes the contrasts between the Victorian period and the postmodern period. Fowles parodies the social values, mores, attitudes and sexuality of the two historical periods as well as the narrative modes of Victorian styles and postmodern styles. The purpose of this juxtaposition is to prompt readers to learn lessons from the past, reflect on the present and look forward to the future.
Chapter three treats the polarity of reality and fiction. In this novel, Fowles makes the pair of polarity indistinguishable, the outcome of which is to blur the demarcation of reality and fiction. Readers are initiated to learn that life is full of many “realities” and “fictions” and that reality and fiction are indispensable to and coexistent in our lives.
Chapter four is devoted to scrutinizing the contrast of freedom and duty. Fowles is convinced that freedom is the highest human good. But humans in the pursuit of freedom are blocked by their obligatory duties. Only when they get rid of such restraints and regard the pursuit of freedom as their duty can they achieve the highest human good.
Chapter five focuses on the contrasts among different social classes. The fall of the upper class and the rise of the lower class demonstrate that social hierarchy has declined and the middle class becomes the mainstream of this society. Furthermore, though women’s social position is much inferior to men’s in the Victorian period, Fowles, through his characterization of Sarah, suggests that there will be a hope for the equality of both sexes.
Chapter six comes to a conclusion. The pole and the counterpole are interdependent on each other, and their coexistence is the law of nature. Fowles’s attitude toward polar opposites reveals a heart for wholeness and balance. Therefore, confronted with the conflicts of the positive and negative forces, hopefully, we can manage to find a way to balance or reconciliation so as to evolve harmoniously.
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