resembles a Victorian novel in structure and detail, while pushing the traditional boundaries of narrative in a very modern manner. Winner of several awards it is the book that today s casual readers seem to most associate with Fowles.the 1970s Fowles worked on a variety of literary projects, including a series of essays on nature , and in 1973 he published a collection of poetry, Poems. He also worked on translations from French, including adaptations of Cinderella and the novella Ourika. His translation of Marie de France s 12th century story Eliduc served as an inspiration for The Ebony Tower, a novella and four short stories that appeared in 1974.Martin, a long and somewhat autobiographical novel spanning over 40 years in the life of a screenwriter, appeared in 1977, along with a revised version of The Magus. These were followed by Mantissa (1982), a fable about a novelist s struggle with his muse; and A Maggot (1985), an 18th century mystery which combines science fiction and history. addition to The Aristos, Fowles has written a variety of non-fiction pieces including many essays, reviews. He has also written the text for several photographic compilations, including Shipwreck (1975), Islands (1978) and The Tree (1979) .1968, Fowles has lived on the southern coast of England in the small harbour town of Lyme Regis (the setting for The French Lieutenant s Woman). His interest in the town's local history resulted in his appointment as curator of the Lyme Regis Museum in 1979, a position he filled for a decade.book of essays, Wormholes was published in May 1998, devoted to literature, conservation, natural history and a variety of other interests.Collector is the story of the abduction and imprisonment of Miranda Grey by Frederick Clegg, told first from his point of view, and then from hers by means of a diary she has kept, with a return in the last few pages to Clegg s narration of her illness and death. s section begins with his recalling how he used to watch Miranda entering and leaving her house, across the street from the town hall in which he worked. He describes keeping an observation diary about her, whom he thinks of as a rarity , and his mention of meetings of the Bug Section confirms that he is an amateur lepidopterist. On the first page, then, Clegg reveals himself to possess the mind-set of a collector, one whose attitude leads him to regard Miranda as he would a beautiful butterfly, as an object from which he may derive pleasurable control, even if collecting her will deprive her of freedom and life.goes on to describe events leading up to his abduction of her, from dreams about Miranda and memories of his stepparents or coworkers to his winning a small fortune in a football pool. When his family immigrates to Australia and Clegg finds himself on his own, he begins to fantasize about how Miranda would like him if only she knew him. He buys a van and a house in the country with an enclosed room in its basement that he remodels to make securable and hideable. When he returns to London, Clegg watches Miranda for 10 days. Then, as she is walking home alone from a movie, he captures her, using a rag soaked in chloroform, ties her up in his van, takes her to his house, and locks her in the basement room.she awakens, Clegg finds Miranda sharper than normal people like himself. She sees through some of his explanations, and recognizes him as the person whose picture was in the paper when he won the pool. Because he is somewhat confused by her unwillingness to be his guest and embarrassed by his inadvertent declaration of love, he agrees to let her go in one month. He attributes her resentment to the difference in their social background: There was always class between us. tries to please Miranda by providing for her immediate needs. He buys her a Mozart record and thinks, She liked it and so me for buying it. He fails to understand human relations except in terms of things. About her appreciation for the music, he comments, It sounded like all the rest to me but of course she was musical. There is indeed a vast difference between them, but he fails to recognize the nature ...
