Carnivalization In Daniel Martin

As a representative of postmodern novelists in England, John Fowles enjoys a great reputation in contemporary world literature. His semi-autobiographical novel Daniel Martin has aroused controversy since its publication. Many critics and readers hold that it is hard to read on account of its lengthy paragraphs, disordered structures and didactic styles. And most critics, both at home and abroad, have analyzed it from the aspect of themes and narrative techniques. Few of them have ever proposed a connection with Bakhtin’s carnival theory. As a result, this thesis aims to interpret it from this perspective in hope of revealing the carnivalistic features of the novel and exploring Fowles’s pursuit of whole sight and freedom.This thesis consists of five parts, namely, the introduction, the body part with three chapters and the final conclusion. The introduction part includes a brief summary of Fowles’s life and the main plot of Daniel Martin, a review of current researches on it, and some key terms in Bakhtin’s carnival theory which lays a theoretical foundation for the following analysis.Chapter One analyzes the carnivalistic features of the settings in Daniel Martin. Fowles creates many carnival square-like settings, such as the farm Thorncombe in the suburb of England and the feasts and parties permeated with relaxing and cheerful atmosphere. Living in these marginalized areas, Daniel regains freedom and a peaceful state of mind so that he can recollect his past memory and reexamine himself. Finally, he is able to integrate his fragmented self. Besides, there exist many variants of carnival square, such as doors and roads. Fowles tactfully engages the turning points of characters’ life and many emergent events in these settings, which fully represents the indeterminacy and unfinalizability of carnival life.Chapter Two explores the duality, relativity and ambivalence of the paired images in Daniel Martin. Fowles creates several paired characters in it. The first pair, Anthony and Daniel, has entirely different religious beliefs, values and personalities. Besides, Anthony’s suicide entails the rebirth of Daniel and Jane. As a symbol of Daniel’s present and past, Jenny and Jane also form another pair of contrast. Moreover, with the unique subversive power, they help Daniel rediscover and recollect his split self. The most striking contrast lies between Daniel and Jane, for their images change into opposite poles in a series of crowning and decrowning.Chapter Three focuses on the dialogic features of Daniel Martin, all of which are mainly represented in the dialogues between different consciousnesses, between the narrating Daniel and the experiencing Daniel, and between Fowles and characters as well as readers. Fowels attaches great importance to the equal dialogues between different characters, which results in the coexistence of multiple voices. Meanwhile, owning to Daniel’s fragmented subjectivity, the narrative point of view constantly shifts between the first and third person. It indicates a micro-dialogue between the experiencing Daniel and the narrating Daniel. In addition, Fowles sometimes intrudes into the novel to have direct dialogue with the characters and readers, which further highlights the dialogism of the novel.The final concluding part sums up the carnivalistic features in settings, characters and dialogues. It also tries to find out how Daniel recollects his fragmented self and pursues whole sight in the carnivalized world Fowles creates, which further reveals the carnival spirit of "the freedom and equality" and "the shifts and changes".