The French Lieutenant's Woman -

Fowles uses footnotes and epigraphs (from Marx, Darwin, and Hardy) to contrast Victorian "piety" with the harsh reality of their social structures.

Charles finds Sarah, but she refuses to return to him, choosing her independence over a conventional romantic ending. Historical Context Setting: Lyme Regis, England, 1867.

The novel famously offers three different conclusions to the story:

Summary of "The French Lieutenant’s Woman" Published in 1969 by John Fowles, this novel is a landmark of postmodern fiction. It mimics a Victorian "sensation novel" while constantly breaking the fourth wall to comment on 19th-century social constraints versus 20th-century freedom. Core Characters

Charles’s interest in Darwin mirrors his own social evolution from a bored aristocrat to an independent man.

Charles’s wealthy, conventional fiancée who represents the "ideal" Victorian woman.

The "outcast" known as Tragedy; she is mysterious, independent, and defies social norms.