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Daniel Martin (novel)
Encyclopedia
Daniel Martin is a novel
by John Fowles. It was released in 1977 and can be taken as a Bildungsroman
, following the life of the eponymous protagonist. The novel uses both first and third person voices, whilst employing a variety of literary techniques such as multiple narrative
s and flashback
. The author suggests that the book is concerned with "Englishness - what it is like to be English in the late 20th century."
Whilst in England, Daniel improves relations with his daughter (Caro) and estranged wife (Nell). Then Daniel and Jane go on a cruise visiting Egypt, Syria and Lebanon and the two fall in love again. Daniel breaks up with his Scottish girlfriend and the two lovers are reunited at the end of the book.
In exploring the relationships between the main characters, Fowles takes the chance to expand upon such topics as aesthetics
, philosophy of cinema, archeology, imperialism
and the differences between Britain and the United States.
John Gardner calls upon Daniel Martin many times in the first half of On Moral Fiction
; it is to him a reflection of John Fowles's valid opinion regarding art—namely, that true art ought to instruct. The same notion was Gardner's central thesis in On Moral Fiction.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by John Fowles. It was released in 1977 and can be taken as a Bildungsroman
Bildungsroman
In literary criticism, bildungsroman or coming-of-age story is a literary genre which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood , and in which character change is thus extremely important...
, following the life of the eponymous protagonist. The novel uses both first and third person voices, whilst employing a variety of literary techniques such as multiple narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
s and flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
. The author suggests that the book is concerned with "Englishness - what it is like to be English in the late 20th century."
Plot summary
Daniel Martin is the story of a Hollywood screenwriter who returns to his native England when a friend from university asks to see him before he dies. With flashbacks to his childhood in the 1940s and time at university in Oxford, a tale of frustrated love emerges. The dying man (Anthony) asks him to look after his wife Jane. Daniel had in fact married Jane's sister, despite loving Jane and having had a one night stand with her.Whilst in England, Daniel improves relations with his daughter (Caro) and estranged wife (Nell). Then Daniel and Jane go on a cruise visiting Egypt, Syria and Lebanon and the two fall in love again. Daniel breaks up with his Scottish girlfriend and the two lovers are reunited at the end of the book.
Characters in Daniel Martin
| Character | Information |
|---|---|
| Daniel Martin | The protagonist |
| Nell | Daniel's ex-wife |
| Jane | Daniel's lifetime love, Nell's sister |
| Anthony | Jane's husband, Daniel's friend |
| Caro | Daniel's daughter by Nell |
| Jenny | Daniel's Scottish girlfriend |
Major themes
The novel can be seen as autobiographical. John Fowles states in an interview: "You are every character you write. In Daniel Martin, where I describe myself travelling all over America, I probably revealed more of myself than anywhere else."In exploring the relationships between the main characters, Fowles takes the chance to expand upon such topics as aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
, philosophy of cinema, archeology, imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
and the differences between Britain and the United States.
John Gardner calls upon Daniel Martin many times in the first half of On Moral Fiction
On Moral Fiction
On Moral Fiction is a book-length essay by the American novelist John Gardner published in 1978. In this work, Gardner attacks what he sees as contemporary literature's lack of morality, which he calls the highest purpose of art and defines in the book...
; it is to him a reflection of John Fowles's valid opinion regarding art—namely, that true art ought to instruct. The same notion was Gardner's central thesis in On Moral Fiction.
Literary significance and reception
Robert McCrum states "It was the American literary press that saluted Daniel Martin; the English critics who murdered it." Writing in The New York Times William H. Pritchard opined "This new, long, ambitious novel must be judged [Fowles's] best piece of work to date and is a masterly fictional creation, dense with fact."Further reading
- Park S. Time and Ruins in John Fowles's "Daniel Martin" in "John Fowles" Modern Fiction Studies 1985, vol. 31, no 1, pages 157-163 ISSN 0026-7724
- Post-Pastoral in John Fowles’s "Daniel Martin" Wilson Organization Environment. 2005; 18: 477-488
- Discussion threads on Daniel Martin: http://fowlesbooks.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=5