The Dialogism And Carnivalization In The French Lieutenant’’s Woman

John Fowles, as one of the eminent writers in the 20 th century, is full of experimental spirit and originality. His famous work The French Lieutenant’s Woman is one of the most important English novels in the 20 th century. Since its publication in 1969, extensive discussions have been made by critics from the experimental techniques, such as open form, collage and unique narrative techniques, feminism, existentialism and other different perspectives. However few have tried to interpret this novel systematically with Bakhtin’s theory.Based on the foundation of former research fruits, this thesis is dedicated into the exploration of the different voices in The French Lieutenant’s Woman under the theories of Bakhtin. By using his theory of dialogue, this thesis tries to analyze the dialogical relationship between the author, characters and the readers as well as the different voices in the novel. The different voices and consciousnesses form the great dialogues and micro-dialogues which make the novel polyphonic. What is more, the carnival features in the novel ensure those dialogues to be set on a free and equal ground. By the analysis of the great dialogues, micro-dialogues and the carnival features in the novel, this thesis ultimately comes to the conclusion that this novel is a polyphonic novel full of valid voices. It is hoped that the discovery will throw some light on better interpretations of John Fowles’ novel and Bakhtin’s theories as well.