The Existential Philosophy In The Aristos And The Magus:A Comparative Study

John Fowles(1926-2005)is regarded as one of the most important novelists in Britain,a master that cannot be overlooked if you are going to study the post-modernism literature in Britain.Fowles has created six novels,a short story and some non-fictional works during his life.His novels organically combine profound philosophical themes and highly experimental art techniques,making them both profound and readable.Fowles is closely concerned with the ideological content of the work,and publishes a non-fictional work The Aristos to elaborate his philosophy and psychological thinking.Strongly influenced by French existentialist Sartre,Fowles creates The Aristos in the genre of existentialism while he is not merely confined to former existential leaders and he has his own existential sparkles.Although The Magus is not his first published novel,it is the first novel that he has begun to write.The Magus,whose setting and the shaping of the protagonist are carried with Fowles's own memory,reflecting his own thoughts and ideas.Therefore,Fowles's philosophical notes The Aristos and his novel The Magus can be described as mutually intertwined and interdependent.It's more accurate and profound to carry out a comparative study of the two works.This thesis consist of five parts.The introductory part includes the review of current studies of John Fowles and his works,and a comprehensive introduction to existentialism.Chapter One systematically sorts out the views of Fowles on the individual's personality structure,freedom of choice,the value of human existence,the gradation of the Few and the Many in The Aristos and their traces in The Magus.The author explores how people survive,maintain their personality and shape themselves in the post-modern environment by analyzing the projection of Fowles's thoughts in the practice of his novel creating.Fowles proposes that there is a forth element "Nemo" in the structure of personality.It is a negative force,which means "anti-ego" or "nobodiness".Fowles agrees with the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus about the gradation of the Few and the Many.But at the same time,he also argues that the division of the two is not absolute but flexible,and education can effectively narrow the distance between the two.Unlike the "absolute freedom" advocated by Sartre,Fowles praises the"relative freedom",he encourages the individual to strive for individual freedom.Chapter Two explores the views expressed by Fowles in The Aristos on human beings' real situation,morality,education and their traces in the creation of The Magus.Fowles is deeply influenced by existentialism,however his ideas are quite different from Sartre and Camus's.Sartre and Camus's existentialism is depressed,negative and pessimistic,while Fowles is concerned with how human can face the current situation and how they can find way out the difficult situation.Fowles advocates Lao Tzu's "Wu Wei",that is,to govern by doing nothing He believes that God acts in a way of doing nothing and presents in a way of absence.The individual can still choose and be free to grow up in his own way.Chapter Three mainly sorts out Fowles's exploration of nature,the relationship between man and nature,and the relationship between nature and literary creation,which are vividly embodied in The Magus.Fowles argues that man and nature are indispensible,and it is in nature that man finds sustenance and comfort.Fowles's existentialism is deeply rooted in nature,and nature is the source of his inspiration for literary creation.The concluding part emphasizes that the long-lasting enchantment of Fowles's novels is inseparable from his existential philosophy.John Fowles is an intellectual who is always ready to embrace new ideas.In his literary career,he keeps absorbing new ideas.His novels have the beauty of being both quite readable and philosophical.Though deeply influenced by Sartre,Fowles's existentialist philosophy possesses its special features which are inseparable from Fowles's personal experiences.A comparative study of The Aristos and The Magus can more clearly demonstrate Fowles's philosophical thinking about self,society and nature.