John Fowles and the Recreation of the Medieval Romance

John Fowles and the Recreation of the Medieval Romance

  John Fowles" works, especially The Magus and The Ebony Tower, have very similar characteristics with the medieval romances, represented in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The medieval romances departed from the epic poems and they manifested a new style in literary history. In spite of temporal difference, Fowles" works have a strong connection with the medieval romances by using their important elements: the subject of love, adventure, unusual settings, and a test. The appearance of the subject of love in the medieval romances was a total departure from the epic poems and that love could be only achieved through adventure in an unusual setting. And the hero, a chosen man, must pass a voluntary test to prove his integrity. These elements of the medieval romances can be easily found in The Magus and The Ebony Tower. Thus, the medieval romances are faithfully recreated in Fowles" works.