THE COLLECTOR by John Fowles THE NOVEL AND

THE COLLECTOR by John Fowles THE NOVEL AND ITS SCREEN VERSION

Types of Narrator: Persona (“mask”) – a firstperson narrator radically different from the actual author in his/her opinions and characteristics. Personas are often unreliable, creating an ironic distance between their perspective and that of the readers.

The Collector On Screen Britain/USA 1965 • Director: William Wyler • Starring: Terence Stamp, Samantha Eggar Trailer Kidnapping Butterflies episode

Questions 1. What differences did you notice between the novel and its screen version? 2. What happens to the point of view in the film? 3. How do the details work? 4. How did you imagine the characters? Were they like the ones in the film? 5. If you were to direct The Collector, what actors would you cast as Frederick and Miranda?

Writing an Essay GENERAL GUIDELINES AND CATEGORIES OF ANALYSIS

Reader’s Response • Relatively short (1200 words, no bibliography); • Informal; • First-person pronouns (I, my, me) are allowed; • Provides and explains one’s personal opinion; • Contains elements of analysis; • Does NOT consist of 5 paragraphs (any other number is allowed); • Follows certain self-imposed logic.

Writing an Essay • Highlighting • Preparing an outline • Choosing a topic • Writing first draft • Brainstorming • Reviewing the logic • Connecting ideas • Testing out ideas (get a reader!) • Organizing the information • Deciding on a thesis • Writing final draft (eliminate stylistic and spelling mistakes)

Categories of analysis • Genre • Style • Characters • Tone and language • Plot • Setting • Point of view • Symbolism • Allegory • Themes

Questions to think about 1. (plot) How do the events of the novel relate to one another? 2. (characters) What are the characters’ most striking traits? 3. (characters) Are the characters fully developed, or are they stereotypes? 4. (setting) At what time period and in what geographic location does the action occur?

Questions 5. (point of view) Does the narrator see from various perspectives, or is the story restricted to the perspective of one person (a major character, a minor character, an observer)? 6. (style, language) Does the writer make any unusual use of diction or syntax? What words or phrases are repeated? Is the story’ style plain or elaborate?

Questions 7. (tone) Is the tone of the story playful, humorous, ironic, satirical, serious, sombre, solemn, bitter, condescending, formal, informal? 8. (symbolism) Does the author use any objects or ideas symbolically? Does the same object have different meanings at different places in the novel?

Questions 9. (theme) What is the central theme? 10. How does the title of the story contribute to readers’ understanding of the central theme?