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thayawar's review against another edition
4.0
As soon as lil ol Nicholas Urfe described Alison as: “spilt milk; or spilt semen” he got everything he goddam deserved in my eyes
christopherc's review against another edition
2.0
The writer John Fowles taught English for a year on a Greek island in the early 1950s, an experience he drew on for this vast novel that he published in the following decade. The protagonist and narrator Nicholas Urfe is a fairly recent English university graduate and a man adrift in life, whose rage at the world and critical self-examination is depicted in prose clearly influenced by Camus and company. After a love affair does not pan out, Nicholas decides to get away from England and he accepts a teaching position at an elite boarding school on the Aegean island of Phraxos. While there, he meets the mysterious and reclusive millionaire Maurice Conchis and regularly visits the latter’s summer estate on the other side of the island. Conchis turns out to have had a remarkable life which he tells Nicholas about in great depth. Yet as he does so, personages from Conchis’ ancient past seem to come to life and walk the landscape around them. Is this “masque” real or imaginary, and why does Conchis insist that the young Englishman take part in it? It turns out that the mad visions of this elderly millionaire relate very much to Nicholas’s own life.
I found this novel bloated, interminable. I’m not adverse to long novels (I was looking forward to, after reading The Magus, reading Proust again), but so much of this novel consists of effusive, excessive description that a savvy editor could have trimmed. Furthermore, the protagonist’s calm, composed response to the bizarre spectacle unfolding around him is hard to swallow, and the Jungian psychology that lies at the heart of the plot feels dated. I don’t regret reading through the end of the book, as Fowles does introduce some particularly memorable and sympathetic characters in the closing act of the novel, though I felt let down by his decision to simply let Conchis and the other dramatic foils to vanish instead of offering any neat resolution to the 600-page plot.
The Magus still holds some interest as a time capsule of mid-Twentieth Century Britain and Greece. Though the novel is set in 1953, Fowles took advantage of the end of literary censorship and looser mores in Britain in the Sixties, following the Lady Chatterley trial and the sexual revolution. The Magus includes several sex scenes and the relationship between young men and women is pretty free and easy. There is a curious feeling here of a clash of decades, or perhaps Fowles wished to point out that even the tightlaced 1950s had the same rebellious youth and free love, it was just covered up.
I found this novel bloated, interminable. I’m not adverse to long novels (I was looking forward to, after reading The Magus, reading Proust again), but so much of this novel consists of effusive, excessive description that a savvy editor could have trimmed. Furthermore, the protagonist’s calm, composed response to the bizarre spectacle unfolding around him is hard to swallow, and the Jungian psychology that lies at the heart of the plot feels dated. I don’t regret reading through the end of the book, as Fowles does introduce some particularly memorable and sympathetic characters in the closing act of the novel, though I felt let down by his decision to simply let Conchis and the other dramatic foils to vanish instead of offering any neat resolution to the 600-page plot.
The Magus still holds some interest as a time capsule of mid-Twentieth Century Britain and Greece. Though the novel is set in 1953, Fowles took advantage of the end of literary censorship and looser mores in Britain in the Sixties, following the Lady Chatterley trial and the sexual revolution. The Magus includes several sex scenes and the relationship between young men and women is pretty free and easy. There is a curious feeling here of a clash of decades, or perhaps Fowles wished to point out that even the tightlaced 1950s had the same rebellious youth and free love, it was just covered up.
brettashleyyy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
If this book taught me anything, it’s that the concept of psychosexual mind games can definitely be overused and can make for a tedious book. With a truly irredeemable “anti-hero”(?) protagonist and no other really likeable characters, I felt very little about the minds we were playing games with. I also cannot shake how the protagonist views women like they constantly owe him something and how it affects most of his decisions in this book. Following a narcissist trying to keep his pride through 600 pages of this kinda pretentious prose can be a lot, so it ended up taking me the whole summer to read. I thought, “Oh, it’s set in Greece, what a fun summer read!” Nah. Although I believe the writing can shine at times, and I respect the concept, I do not recommend as the end will leave you just as bitter as the protagonist.
selenajournal's review against another edition
4.0
from what i understand, there are chunks of untranslated greek and latin in the novel. i think this is the first time outside of reading for school that i've gotten to read latin in modern literature. (why did i study latin in school? i'm a glutton for punishment and portuguese wasn't available).
~~
the magus is the anna karenina of john fowles’s career. with the freedom afforded to him after publishing the collector, he could focus on the magus. i couldn’t resist starting the magus first. any books that have chunks of untranslated greek and latin are too appealing to wait on my shelves. (latin was what i spent two years studying in school instead of the preferred spanish or french).
the story starts when nicholas urfe leaves the mostly sexual relationship he has with alison kelly in order to teach english on a prestigious island. though it seems she still loves him, she goes off to be an air hostess and she lets him go. this teaching assignment though, is special, since it takes place on a greek island, meaning he’d be spending most of his year on the island itself. this book is based in part on the experiences that fowles had when he taught on a greek island. in this way, the story really comes to life. the descriptions of greece made me feel like i was there. it was a welcome vacation.
once nicholas is on the island and has started his teaching career, he has a chance to meet the island’s eccentric millionaire maurice conchis, whom a previous teacher perhaps had warned him about (an altercation of some sort had taken place). his life on the island by this point is already a bit boring and he may have already turned his sights to certain brothels to satisfy his cravings. he’s not sure himself if he misses alison or is just not used to being so lonely. his character, early on, is introduced to the reader as being a bit of a ladies man sexually. strangely, he sets himself up as being the one not ready for commitments and for some reason, all of the women in his life find themselves wanting to fix him.
conchis leads nicholas down a journey that, to be frank, really fucks with his perceptions. conchis owns a beautiful house on the other side of the island that very few if any people are invited to. at first, nicholas is a confidante, part of the few, the elite, an assistant helping conchis (who presents himself as a psychologist). but then it spirals down and as the story progresses, the roles were changed and power was shifted between characters. i kept changing my mind about why certain strings were pulled and what the truth really was (i was completely wrong and i knew it, by the end).
the book dates itself by relying quite heavily on freudian and jungian schools of thought in analyzing the lives of men and diagnosing emotional issues to childhood traumas or inadequacies. in later parts of the book, when the adventure nicholas has been on is coming to an end, this dated psychology is very obviously referred to.
throughout the “experiment,” there were heavy mythological references. it took me about a week to read the book because, just like with reading american gods, i wanted to look into the deeper meanings of the gods that were being mentioned.
Polymus Films. I didn’t see the obvious, that one misplaced letter, until painfully late (583)
One realized progress more by omissions than anything else; by pretenses dropped. She raised her head, and she sat back propped on one arm, slightly turned away. Then she picked up the mask and held it like a yashmak again.
“I am Astarte, mother of mystery.”
when nicholas charted a person’s involvement in the “experiment,” he’d refer to it by recalling a similar mythological character. the only real consistency in the story seemed to be that conchis is god.
There’s a card in the Tarot pack called the magus. The magician… conjurer. Two of his traditional symbols are the lily and the rose. (477)
this is a story where knowing more than the book blurb is detrimental to your enjoyment, so i’m attempting to be vague. in doing so though, i do want to comment on the ending, the ties along the way that led to the ending. i don’t know why, but i was expecting a much more grandiose ending to the book. the grueling experiment and work that went into teaching nicholas. the three months after the experiment were pretty heavily glossed over and i wish this wasn’t the case. i was curious what was going through his head, because, having gone through the emotional wringer with nicholas, i had a lot to vent about. i had a lot of questions.
i made sure to purchase the french lieutenant’s wife so I can begin soon. i had hoped to find the collector but the timing isn’t right yet. fowles is a great writer and i know i’ll be coming back to his work soon.
~~
the magus is the anna karenina of john fowles’s career. with the freedom afforded to him after publishing the collector, he could focus on the magus. i couldn’t resist starting the magus first. any books that have chunks of untranslated greek and latin are too appealing to wait on my shelves. (latin was what i spent two years studying in school instead of the preferred spanish or french).
the story starts when nicholas urfe leaves the mostly sexual relationship he has with alison kelly in order to teach english on a prestigious island. though it seems she still loves him, she goes off to be an air hostess and she lets him go. this teaching assignment though, is special, since it takes place on a greek island, meaning he’d be spending most of his year on the island itself. this book is based in part on the experiences that fowles had when he taught on a greek island. in this way, the story really comes to life. the descriptions of greece made me feel like i was there. it was a welcome vacation.
once nicholas is on the island and has started his teaching career, he has a chance to meet the island’s eccentric millionaire maurice conchis, whom a previous teacher perhaps had warned him about (an altercation of some sort had taken place). his life on the island by this point is already a bit boring and he may have already turned his sights to certain brothels to satisfy his cravings. he’s not sure himself if he misses alison or is just not used to being so lonely. his character, early on, is introduced to the reader as being a bit of a ladies man sexually. strangely, he sets himself up as being the one not ready for commitments and for some reason, all of the women in his life find themselves wanting to fix him.
conchis leads nicholas down a journey that, to be frank, really fucks with his perceptions. conchis owns a beautiful house on the other side of the island that very few if any people are invited to. at first, nicholas is a confidante, part of the few, the elite, an assistant helping conchis (who presents himself as a psychologist). but then it spirals down and as the story progresses, the roles were changed and power was shifted between characters. i kept changing my mind about why certain strings were pulled and what the truth really was (i was completely wrong and i knew it, by the end).
the book dates itself by relying quite heavily on freudian and jungian schools of thought in analyzing the lives of men and diagnosing emotional issues to childhood traumas or inadequacies. in later parts of the book, when the adventure nicholas has been on is coming to an end, this dated psychology is very obviously referred to.
throughout the “experiment,” there were heavy mythological references. it took me about a week to read the book because, just like with reading american gods, i wanted to look into the deeper meanings of the gods that were being mentioned.
Polymus Films. I didn’t see the obvious, that one misplaced letter, until painfully late (583)
One realized progress more by omissions than anything else; by pretenses dropped. She raised her head, and she sat back propped on one arm, slightly turned away. Then she picked up the mask and held it like a yashmak again.
“I am Astarte, mother of mystery.”
when nicholas charted a person’s involvement in the “experiment,” he’d refer to it by recalling a similar mythological character. the only real consistency in the story seemed to be that conchis is god.
There’s a card in the Tarot pack called the magus. The magician… conjurer. Two of his traditional symbols are the lily and the rose. (477)
this is a story where knowing more than the book blurb is detrimental to your enjoyment, so i’m attempting to be vague. in doing so though, i do want to comment on the ending, the ties along the way that led to the ending. i don’t know why, but i was expecting a much more grandiose ending to the book. the grueling experiment and work that went into teaching nicholas. the three months after the experiment were pretty heavily glossed over and i wish this wasn’t the case. i was curious what was going through his head, because, having gone through the emotional wringer with nicholas, i had a lot to vent about. i had a lot of questions.
i made sure to purchase the french lieutenant’s wife so I can begin soon. i had hoped to find the collector but the timing isn’t right yet. fowles is a great writer and i know i’ll be coming back to his work soon.
pizzacruuuuust's review against another edition
4.0
edit: okay I'm coming back to this review with a bit of time and space now. loved the way Greece was described, really felt vivid and there and real.
Loved all the myth and occultism and references to classical literature that I definitely missed, added to the general vibe of the whole thing.
didn't expect really any of the twists and turns and BOY are there a lot of those.
Good god though does Nicolas (and I think John Fowles a little actually) hate women
emibutton's review against another edition
Tedious with highly unlikeable protagonist
hidelynch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ovaltineplease's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
anna_diana's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rouge_red's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Basically a long book about one man getting blue-balled the entire way through. That's what happens when you don't consider other people's feelings, and just your own desires.