Point of View

John Fowles writes The French Lieutenant’s Woman in third person narration, making it very clear and very obvious that he is the narrator. He does this by referencing himself and inserting himself into the novel in a handful of places. He also shows up to manipulate events, such as when he turns back the clock fifteen minutes to illustrate a third possible ending.

John Fowles tells the story in third person narration because he speaks about how the novelist is like God. The writer can dream a world into being, but his characters ultimately can assume lives of their own. This is why Fowles narrates in the third person, rather than assumes first person narration for any one of his characters, for he cannot control them.

Setting

The setting of The French Lieutenant’s Woman is that of 1867 Victorian England. The majority of the...