''Mantissa'' is a novel by British 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 ...

published in 1982. It consists entirely of a presumably imaginary dialogue in a writer's head, between himself and an embodiment of the

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

Erato, after he wakes amnesiac in a hospital bed.

Critical reception

''Mantissa'' was Fowles' only novel to receive generally negative reviews. The ''New York Times'' called it "a surprisingly tedious novel," asserting that it was little more than Fowles' response to critics that he felt misunderstood his work. The ''Boston Globe'' named it "an idiotic story." ''Time'' magazine, in a more positive review, asserted that the book consists of a sort of intellectual play between Fowles and the reader, or by Fowles at the expense of all reading. The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' likewise identified the book as intellectually playful but found the dialogue tiresome.

Dave Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for mos ...

reviewed ''Mantissa'' for ''

White Dwarf A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes ...

'' #55, and stated that "Although packed with allegory about what creativity/inspiration actually ''is'', the book is wonderfully, unexpectedly funny. An in-joke or so too many, but great stuff."

Writing

{{Authority control 1982 British novels English-language books Jonathan Cape books Novels about writers Novels by John Fowles