A Maggot [Paperback]

John Fowles (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Pan Book; First Edition edition (1985)
• ISBN-10: 0330295667
• ISBN-13: 978-0330295666
• ASIN: B001KSSLMU
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Quirky Novel, January 9, 2011

By 

Dr. Bojan Tunguz (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Maggot (Paperback)

"A Maggot" is John Fowles' sixth major novel. Its title is based on the archaic expression for a "whim" or a "quirk," but another meaning emerges towards the end of the novel. As a "quirk," the novel is somewhat more idiosyncratic and indulgent in weird and at times incoherent plot developments, and one cannot but help feeling that Fowles wrote it more as a form of self-indulgence than a clearly formulated piece of work. Nonetheless, the novel has all of the characteristics that we have come to associate with Fowles' works: highly refined literary style, incisive perception of human psychology, and mastery of different historical settings.

The novel takes place in eighteenth century England, primarily in the year 1736. At the beginning we encounter the five main protagonists as they are traveling on horseback through rural England. When they stop at an Inn to spend the night there, we realize that they are not quite the persons that they pretend to be, and that they are involved in a secretive and not very reputable mission. At this point, however, the main narrative part of the novel breaks off and we only gradually come to learn of what the travelers' true intention was and what really happened in the subsequent days. The rest of the novel is written in the form of eighteenth century newspaper pages, interrogation proceedings, letters, and an occasional spur of narrative. Apparently some sort of foul play has taken place, one of the travelers has been found dead, and their leader (who we find out was an important member of aristocracy) has gone missing. We gradually learn more and more about the true nature of the events that have transpired, and closer we get to the truth the more unbelievable it appears. Towards the end this novel assumes a truly fantastical dimension, but as most of the events that had been narrated come through second-hand sources (only one of which seems to have been present at all the times) it is not entirely clear if they had not been some sort of very elaborate illusion. In the short epilogue John Fowles describes how he was fascinated with the life of Ann Lee - a leading figure in the early Shaker movement and purportedly the daughter of one of the protagonists in "A Maggot." The connection to this real historical figure and Shakerism in particular, is tenuous at best. The last parts of the novel and Fowles' "explanation" leave a lot to be desired, and we are left with a decidedly unsatisfactory feeling. This is certainly not one of Fowles' best novels, but it is nonetheless fairly entertaining. It is also stylistically and technically well done, the faulty plotline notwithstanding. All fans of John Fowles writing will certainly find a lot to appreciate in "A Maggot."