Point of View in Fiction and Film (American University Studies Series IV, English Language and Literature)

A comparison between a novel and its film adaptation often fails to consider the essential characteristics of the two separate media. Among cinematic adaptations which have drawn critical attention are the films produced from John Fowles' novels The Collector, The Magus, and The French Lieutenant's Woman; these novels, in fact, are particularly challenging for filmmakers not only because of their complex structures and layers of meanings but also because of the points of view which Fowles chose for each. Focusing on the cinematic equivalents of these Fowles novels, this work examines the basic structure of fiction, screenplays, and film.