The French Lietenant's Woman

The only book I've read by the (pedantic?) John Fowles. I found that the novel was, surprisingly, a modern, ironic intake on Victorian fiction, where Fowles lightly sprinkles a critical vision upon typical Victorian characters and literature. Delving deeper into the story though (no spoilers), the theme of the novel is truly that of appearance and reality, like so many other authors have chosen to interpret through their writing. It is the way in which we view ourselves, and the way in which we deem others and therefore, the way in which we consider others to either fit into our hibitual realms, how they as 'foreign elements' would fit into our norms of life, how we can mold ourselves to fit into theirs and, most importantly, whether it is necessary or whether we should merely continue with what we know and are comfortable with. Such is the case of Charles, Ernestina and Sarah, This peculiar love triangle, amidst a dense boast on how Fowles is so extremely talented and culturally educated, is what leads the reader to understand the deep and meaningful theme. It's true, Fowles is an extremely talented author-as far as I've read (my Fowles literature, as mentioned before, does not go beyond this novel). He proves it to us by taking a mundane theme and twisting it till the very end, where he offers us three possible endings to the story. None of this was truly impacting, but the way in which Fowles chooses to criticize the Victorian mind set and simultaneously create a work of literary art is quite wonderful.