''Daniel Martin'' is a

Bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is import ...

novel written by English author

John Fowles John Robert Fowles (; 31 March 1926 – 5 November 2005) was an English novelist of international renown, critically positioned between modernism and postmodernism. His work was influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, among others. Aft ...

and first published in 1977 by Jonathan Cape. It follows the life of the

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

protagonist, using both first and third person voices, whilst employing a variety of literary techniques such as multiple

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc. ...

s and flashback. The author suggests that the book is concerned with "Englishness - what it is like to be

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

in the late 20th century.Mel Gussow ''Talk With John Fowles'' in ''The New York Times'', November 13, 197
retrieved January 1, 2008 (may require subscription)
/ref>

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 Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, 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 spent one night with her. While in England, Daniel improves relations with his daughter (Caro) and his estranged wife (Nell). Then Daniel and Jane go on a cruise visiting

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

, Syria, and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

; 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''

Writing

In summer 1969 Fowles commenced work on 'The Two Englishmen', which he renamed 'Futility', which then became ''Daniel Martin''. A second draft was begun in April 1974 and he worked on the novel consistently throughout 1974/75. Final amendments were made in March 1977.Fowles, John ''The Journals Volume 2'', London: Jonathan Cape, 2006

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."Adam Lee-Potter ''Fair or Fowles?'' in ''The Observer'' October 12, 200
retrieved January 1, 2008
/ref> In exploring the relationships between the main characters, Fowles takes the chance to expand upon such topics as

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

, 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''.

Literary significance and reception

Robert McCrum John Robert McCrum (born 7 July 1953) is an English writer and editor, holding senior editorial positions at Faber and Faber over seventeen years, followed by a long association with ''The Observer''. Early life The son of Michael William McC ...

states "It was the American literary press that saluted Daniel Martin; the English critics who murdered it."Robert McCrum i
highs and lows of being John Fowles''
''The Observer'', November 13, 2005. Retrieved January 1, 2008 Writing in ''The New York Times''

William H. Pritchard William H. Pritchard (born 1932) is an American literary critic and the Henry Clay Folger Professor of English, ''Emeritus'', at Amherst College. Early life and education William Harrison Pritchard, Jr., was born in 1932, the son of William H ...

opined "This new, long, ambitious novel must be judged owles'sbest piece of work to date and is a masterly fictional creation, dense with fact."William H. Pritchard, September 25, 1977 Book Review in ''The New York Times''

References