Transcript 30 January 2014 - University of Ottawa

THE COLLECTOR
by John Fowles
NOTES ON THE NOVEL’S STRUCTURE
Composition
 Is the ending predictable or unexpected?
 How many chapters are in the novel? What is the
function of each one?
 What is the semantic* role of the diary?
*Semantic – pertaining to meaning.
The author and the Character
Every author draws plots
and characters from his own
life, personal experience or
observations.
Fowles/Clegg:
 A lonely childhood
 An interest for nature
 A loving uncle who
encourages this interest
 Imaginary world the boy
lives in as opposed to
reality
Levels of the Novel
 The plot level
 The symbolic level*
p.249
 The mythological level
pp.199, 217.
 The archetypal level*
 The metapoetic* level
(Allusions and quotes;
interconnections with other
works of art) p.158
Term Definitions
*Symbol usually means a material object standing for
something imperceptible, especially abstract
concepts.
*Archetype (in Jungian psychology) a collectively
inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought,
image, etc., universally present in individual psyches.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/archetype
*Metapoetics (noun), metapoetic (adjective). A
phenomenon of writers/poets reflecting on literature
within their own writings, that is, literature
discussing itself.
THE COLLECTOR
by John Fowles
INTERTEXTUALITY
Arts and Music: Questions
1. Miranda talks about art a lot. What
favourite artists of hers can you name?
2. What does Miranda dislike in art and why?
3. What characters listen to Goldberg
Variations? In what episode? How does the
music affect them?
Allusions to Music and Art
 Music: Requiem by
Mozart
 Art:
Still Life With Apples by
Cézanne
Still Life with Apples by Paul Cézanne
Background
Information and
Reader’s Experience
 Other texts (art, music)
change/affect readers’
perception of the novel.
 Example: Miranda wants to
paint like Berthe Morisot.
What does this add to her
portrayal as a character?
The interconnection between various works
of art and literature = Intertextuality
The meaning of a literary work is created
with the help of other works of literature,
paintings, music pieces, etc.
 Referring to other works of art known to the
reader gives a literary work an additional
dimension.
 “Books always speak of other books, and are
made of other books.” (Umberto Eco)
 There is a limited number of basic plots
literature has at its disposal; references and
allusions are unavoidable.

Intertextuality in The Collector
 The names:
Miranda
Ferdinand
 Quotes:
The Tempest by
Shakespeare
“Come, thou tortoise!”
(77)
 Allusions*:
Caliban
Allusion*
An indirect reference to some piece of knowledge not
actually mentioned. Allusions usually come from a
body of information that the author presumes the
reader will know. For example, an author who writes,
“She was another Helen,” is alluding to the proverbial
beauty of Helen of Troy.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/allusion