The French Lieutenant's Woman

Brief Overview

The novel "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles tells the story of Charles Smithson, a young Victorian gentleman who faces moral and social dilemmas when Sarah Woodruff, a mysterious woman known as "the French Lieutenant's Woman," enters his life. Sarah lives in the small English town of Lyme Regis and suffers from public condemnation due to her alleged affair with a French officer. Charles, engaged to another woman, Ernestina Freeman, begins to feel a strong attraction and sympathy for Sarah. Throughout the novel, he is torn between duty and passion, leading to dramatic consequences for everyone involved. Fowles employs a complex narrative structure, including multiple endings, to explore themes of freedom, fate, and social pressure.