Tendency Of Anti-Social Darwinism In The French Lieutenant’s Woman

As one of the most prominent contemporary British novelists, John Fowles left a total of six fictions and multiple non-fictional works in his over 40 years’ writing career. Among his masterpieces is The French Lieutenant’s Woman published in 1969. The novel’s exquisite writing skills, strong sense of resistance and profound theme of freedom have long been the focus of critical attention. As a classic representative of postmodern literature, the novel is a perfect example of innovation and transcendence in art.Researches on Fowles abroad have been focused on biographical criticism, psychological criticism and formal criticism. In addition to these mainstream researches, some Western scholars have also excavated Fowles’ works from the perspectives of natural science and popular culture. Chinese scholars’ studies about Fowles are mainly directed towards the postmodern features and Existentialist thoughts. In her close reading, the present author notices frequent references, either implicit or explicit, to Darwinism in The French Lieutenant’s Woman. A further study indicates a close tie between Social Darwinism and the lives of two male characters Charles and his servant Sam. This thesis then is intended to reveal the tendency of anti-Social Darwinism in the novel through the examination of Charles’ and Sam’s opposite evolutional paths, the narrator’s different attitudes towards the two characters, his ridicule on the modern society and the profound implications of the open ending.Social Darwinism originated from Darwin’s theory of evolution. Darwin believed that there was an inevitable trend of gradual evolution from lower form to higher form among organisms owing to the changes in the environment. After the advent of Darwin’s theory of evolution, Spencer proposed Social Darwinism which designated that the society was comparable to the biological organism and the relationship between the organism and its cells resembled that between the community and its members. According to the food chain in nature, Social Darwinists put forward the theory of "law of the jungle, natural selection and survival of the fittest" to explain social phenomena. They held that natural selection caused by survival competition was applicable to the human society, where those who could not adapt themselves to social developments should be eliminated.The present thesis is composed of four chapters.Chapter One serves as an introduction, which presents the basic information about John Fowles and The French Lieutenant’s Woman, a brief survey of studies of the novel, the essence of Darwinism and Social Darwinism, as well as the focus and structure of the thesis.Chapter Two compares the two male characters on the road to evolution. As an aristocratic descendant, Charles forms a sharp contrast with the humble servant—Sam. Faced with the fast changing society, they take opposite evolutionary paths. While Charles always clings to old things and refuses to adapt himself to social development, Sam willingly changes whenever necessary.Chapter Three is devoted to the revelation of the tendency of anti-Social Darwinism in the novel. The narrator sympathizes with Charles’falling fate and despises Sam’s unscrupulous behavior. His reminiscence of the past contrasts with his mockery of the present, which is thought-provoking. The criticism of traditional marriage, the irony on the happy, romantic ending and the acclaim of free choice at the end of the novel also betrays its anti-Social Darwinist tendency. This tendency is closely related to the anti-Social Darwinist context in the twentieth century and the author himself. Critics criticize Social Darwinists’ mechanical application of Darwin’s theory to the human world and their neglect of the disadvantaged people. Fowles, who holds a sceptical attitude toward scientific development, calls on people to return to nature and make free choice.Chapter Four provides a brief review and summary of the thesis, pointing out that the novel sends people the message that only through spiritual pursuit can man realize his existential value.