The Magus by John Fowles | The Top 125 Books of All Time
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- The next book in my Top 125 Books of All Time series is The Magus by John Fowles. Have you read it? Let me know what you think!
My Intro Video to my Top 125 Books of All Time Project:
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I read this book on accident. I picked it up as a used book from a thrift store not knowing anything about Fowles or the book. I think it’s brilliant and I’m in my 50s. He did get it right -even romantic love and here is why. If you are philosophical to any extent or studying human psychology your concept of “God” and “God’s Game” is going to expand exponentially through experiences - especially those like the ones Nick U is facing. Pose the question is there a god? What is god trying to teach us? Is this all real? What are the consequences of getting things wrong in this life? Do I like who I am? How do I be someone different? Now you begin to get what the writer makes us experience through Nick U. The quandary about the meaning of life and existence. The most we really get are these tantalizing flashes of insight (the same as Nick)… and the idea of love- love of what we don’t have -disappointment or dissatisfaction over what we do have -this is the human condition. That is why Eastern methodologies always state intentional gratitude for what we do have and an intentional movement towards contentment in the now. Love in the novel is about unreciprocated love on both sides. What happens when we try and force someone to love us? (a theme carried throughout Fowles’ other works-seen in the extreme in The Collector). Can we force someone to love us if we are not content with ourselves? Is love ownership and/possession? Can another person really be our “answer”?Really the existential confusion in the book is on point for the individual seeking answers to life’s deeper questions. I hope my insights help here. We all want to see “Nick get it.” We all want to see the writer provide answers -all the answers to us, through Nick. We want the package tied up in a bow. What we get instead is a kind of answer that is more real. There is no answer. What we believe about life is a choice and only shored up by the boundaries we insist upon putting on it in our own hearts and minds. The more we dig, the less defined it becomes. And then we are confronted with the psychological terror of meaninglessness. But at least we have enjoyed the ride. The experience of pleasure in reading the book is equal to the experience of living life when we take what little insights we experience and relinquish knowing the complete reasons or answers…it’s about letting go of artificial constructs and facing ourselves in an existential reality where we must provide our own answers, as readers and as sentient life forms simply existing.
Nah nah nah, it had to be the way it was. It’s about Nicolas ending up struggling to regain what he had at the beginning but never really appreciated. He had to have his pretensions thoroughly destroyed to get there. The coldest splash of psychological water possible directly after the warmest, most ego-stroking illusion.
Yeah that's excellent
I read this book in my mid 20s and remember just being in awe by the language, the creativity, and the pacing of the mystery! I totally agree with you that I’m not sure even Fowles knew what he was doing with this story, but it was an engaging and interesting ride. I still have it on my shelves and your review has definitely made me interested in a reread! Great review!
@curlybooks you said as much in this comment as I did in my whole review LOL Thanks for the much better summation 😊
Read this when I was 16. Suffice to say it changed my world. 100s of books later, it's still in my top 5.
How exactly?
Me at 19. Took me out of my childhood and that safe happy place environment ( quite religious but very happy despite the war around us). Showed me love , revenge, self doubt( hello) games(.loved), thoughts of a man. Changed my world
I totally love this book because of its complexity, ambiguity, hypnotizing the reader, creating the atmosphere of suspense, double reality, mystery, entering the unknown, its psychological depth, creating so many possible scenarios and possibilities within its plot and so many possible answers to the questions after the book is over. At the same time I truly hate it for not giving those answers, for the feeling of frustration and disappointment of where the story has arrived, of never really knowing why and how Conchis was doing what he was doing, who he was, why he was, no plausible or reasonable explanations of what has happened that could match the mindblowing and exceptional experience of reading first two thirds of the book. So I agree that the touch of sci-fi in trying to explain what has happened would only make the book more satisfactory.
I also never expected that the whole profoundness and complexity of the journey Nicolas took throughout his year in Phraxos would be narrowed down to learn to love and appreciate Alison, as if this was the only purpose of the godgame, as if it was the only flaw and fault of Nicolas. Lack of responsibility, selfishness, always playing roles, pushing himself into social isolation, self-pity, not knowing what real freedom is - he can be accused of all of this, but not loving another human in return and not wanting to commit is something most of people have experienced in different stages of their life. It simply means that it was just not the right person, not the right time. Later on in life those people usually find their way to love and to commitment yet with another person. So in my world Alison and Nicolas were just not right for each other and in my understanding of ending they go separate ways.
Wow, I’m so happy you’ve read and reviewed this book. I don’t know why it’s not really popular on booktube, it’s a type of book that definitely provokes conversation! And I couldn’t agree more with everything you’ve said, so thank you very much for this video!
I think Fowles has dropped out of popular conversation at this point. A slightly forgotten about author. He's not exactly mainstream so I can see how it happens. Oh well, it's fun to come across these things on your own, too :) Thanks for watching, Alena!
I read this book when I was in college. It blew my mind. I would never claim that I actually understood what it was all about - but I loved the language and adored the way it was written. It‘s definitely one of the most impressive books I ever read. One day I‘ll re-read it and even if I don’t understand it, I‘ll hopefully still enjoy it.
It's interesting when I read this in my twenties, I identified with Nicolas's journey but now rereading it, I understand that this is a story of an archetypal relationship between reader and writer, actor and director. Conchis is "The Magician" who reenacts his own psychodrama and Nicolas becomes entangled in it, like an unwitting passer-by. It is an ambitious writing experiment that explores the act of storytelling as a magical practice, with a clear reference to ritualistic Greek theatre. However, what is really brilliant, in my opinion, is how it can be appreciated at so many levels, and without knowing the "meta." It is a labyrinth of a book. that reveals new depths and angles each time you read it.
When I first read this, I truly hated it but as time went on it became one of my top 5 books! Magnificent
I just finished it 3 days ago, and tough I still feel it goes down in the last 3rd it annoyed me when i put it down but since it has grown on me. It is the case with such unique books i have noticed
The first 58 chapters of The Magus are excellent. It went downhill after that chapter. I read it to the end angrily and frustratingly expecting it to turn around and get better. But it didn’t. I was pissed off at the end. It was almost as if the author had run out of steam and introduced an entirely new book after chapter 58.
I found this book at a thrift store when I was in middle school in the nineties. Didn’t necessarily understand it (although after your review I think I understood what I was supposed to) but it was fascinating.
At the time I had undiagnosed/untreated thyroid disease...so naturally, my crazy mom, took me to a psychiatrist first and not a regular doctor 🙄
He was a mysterious, rich Jewish guy with zero interest in helping, completely cold and indifferent, as he asked me questions to determine if I was depressed or not.
What is so weird is that I am 38yr old now, and I have this memory of how his face lit up and he became really intrigued by the fact that I was reading The Magus. He was asking all these questions about how I came to read it etc...(We were dirt poor conservative Christians and I guess he was surprised by that book choice.)
I didn’t even know that it was a known book, until he acted so surprised when I told him the name the book I was reading etc
It was that memory that always made me wonder if the book at some occult meaning or reference to the Freemasons or something that I had missed. Why was he so curious and interested in why I was reading this book? Lol
I wonder if he suddenly took you more serious once he learned of you reading the book, like he was surprised a teenager was reading a book he considered “literature”. Seems like a standard older white guy thing to do LOL
Thanks for posting this. I just did the audible version of the book while I drove across country. Apparently, it was the impetus for the song Hotel California.
Recently, the director of the Greek National theater which was imprisoned for child sexual abuse charges, the only item he had with him in prison was this very book. Shows yet again the controversy surrounding this book.
I have always pronounced it "May-gus" so the first syllable is the same as in the word "mage".
I read a couple of John Fowles books many years ago. The French Lieutenant's Woman was my introduction to postmodernism. I hadn't read a lot of Hardy at that time and ony after I became more familiar with Victorian literature, did the brilliance of Fowles' book reveal itself more fully. I also read The Collector which is just super disturbing and put me off reading anything else by him.
I'm going to take a look at your earlier reviews of the "top 125". You have some really interesting and some really efftup books ahead of you!
@guiltyfeat yeah, my pronunciation can probably be blamed on my east coast accent rearing it’s head LOL When I watched the video back the first time I honestly was like, “oh my god, that’s how I say it?!”
French Lieutenant’s Woman is genius.
I just finished this book and came here trying to process everything that I just read. It was not at all what I was expecting. I’m 24, so I definitely fall into the young adults drawn into the deconstruction of the reality. Plus it feels like the perfect time to be reading something about fascist tactics and subjective reality.
I feel like the "processing" stage with this book is going to last quite a while for me, haha. Definitely wasn't what I was expecting either, and I was even told what to expect. It's just much more lost-in-a-maze-like than I even imagined. The fascist tactics angle is an interesting one that I didn't bother to talk about here. I would definitely focus more on the Conchis side of it if I were to ever read this again.
At age 72 I'm re-reading The Magus for the THIRD time in 40 years ! It's definitely one of my favourite books but it still frustrates and puzzles me. I've read other books by Fowles but I still think this is his best by far!
That’s fantastic! Are you getting more/different things from it each time?
I don't know if I'm typical of fans of The Magus, but over the last 50+ years, I've read it 4 times and each time, it feels like the first. I finished it today for the 5th time. 20 years between readings. It was the best reading...but then, i think that each time. I get more and more from it as a Jungian. No one talks about that.
A superb piece of writing.
When my fave book reviewer is "back on the horse" of reviewing books, my day has been made!
I read The Collector by Fowles as was kind of unimpressed...but I think I'm pretty much alone in this assessment.
Edit to add: I thought at first, nah, I'm not reading this one...I didn't like The Collector...now after hearing you talk about it and going to Goodreads, I just ordered the book. YOU ALWAYS do this to me, Rick(#rickmademebuyit)...but I've never been let down once by books you've found flat-out good/or a great experience.
@nikkivenable I wouldn’t be surprised to find out Fowles is a love him or hate him kind of author. His stuff is a bit out there, it seems!
11:00 I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY ITS LIKE LOST! You can always tell when a writer didn't know where the story was going and had no idea for how it would end. The issue I have with books like this (and shows) is that they ask a lot of interesting questions and set up a lot of interesting scenarios but they don't have an answer or a resolution for any of these scenarios so they just make it up as they go along. Kind of like literary blue balls I imagine. I really love sci-fi and I do believe that the book would have been much better if it had been a sci-fi novel.
"Literary blue balls" is a phrase I am 100% stealing. Oh god, that's perfect.
@@RickMacDonnell hahaha feel free to take it. I enjoy watching your videos good luck on your reading goals
100% agree. Just finished it and feel as though I was taken on an enjoyable ride that got increasingly dull and disappointing as I had to force myself through the ending.
I can agree with this assessment. personally the biggest issue I took with this novel was that, in spite of people heaping praises on it for its language and imagery, it was too loose and messy for me. its length, lack of economy of expression, and overindulgence in ambiguity left me just wanting to get it over with. I don't think it's a "bad" book but it could have been a lot better.
Great, interesting review! I actually own that book but have felt intimidated by it for ages. Your video has now pushed me towards picking it up, thank you!
Yeah I wouldn’t say you should be intimidated. It’s incredibly readable, it’s just wild. You’ll have tons of fun with it, Juan.
The story is an inside look at a cartesian experience, which (can) lead to a satori experience or integration. Some don't escape it. Some stay in the shallows of a sort of narcissism. Many that get lost in the cartesian mindset continue it to madness, though surviving can lead you through the looking glass to ego death.
The problem mostly relates to trying to convey escaping such an experience through story.
While the book may not be "satisfying" in the entertaining sense, it's what the experience is like.
What are you on about??
read this when I was eighteen and hit all the adolescent sweet spots,as sentimental as it was.Reading it on a Greek Isle compounded the feeling.What a great review.Thanks.
Man you said it! I was gripped by the prose but frustrated by the lack of clarity, like the whole thing were just vignettes, one after the other. Great summary, L + S 👍
I read this book as a gift from my grandfather. It's fantastic!
Pop the collar. Even better, go for the full zip or other Cardigan. Zipping up to the neck is basically for going outside, like a scarf. Just my opinion
Also, FYI, part of understanding The Magus is knowing that it’s hugely inspired by the novel Le Grand Meaulnes and the idea of a sort of transitory, fleeting magical beauty and nostalgia...mystery and illusion that turns to dust.
It’s the memory of the mystery that matters in the end rather than the mystery itself.
I agree with this, 100%
Your description is right-on with my experience with the book. I agree with your opinions too. I didn't know of I "liked" this books, but I was captivated.
also recently read the Magus for the first time. It was said to have been an influence on the Eagles' Hotel California.
Enraptured was a great word to describe the captivation this book can envoke.
I read this book in 1978 in my late 20's. It was days of a variety of drug use (my hippie days). I still remember it quite clearly. I have brought a used paperback of it and it sits on my shelf and I've been afraid to read it again, that it will have lost some of its magic. You described and brought it back quite well. Still not sure I want to re-read it. But thank you for making me think about it again. I have always felt it is one of the great book. The next best in this vein is Arcadia by Pears. .
Haha, I just bought that book 😄 I seem to be unintentionally attracted to these odd stories at the moment
Yes! This book is so bonkers and sinister. I just remember that finale climax like 😳😳😳😳 I was in my mid 20s when I read it so I def need to reread this soon and see if I roll my eyes more than widen them this time haha
I think a case can be made either way LOL
Did anyone see a connection with Mann's The Magic Mountain? Young man finds himself in a strange environment, removed from the world, discussing philosophy with old guy, attracted to problematic woman, uncertain of ultimate escape, etc... Both are meaty books, with lots of ideas to debate about afterwards. I appreciate your video review Rick, have you done one for Mann's novel?
I haven't read Magic Mountain yet, unfortunately! From what you say, they sound eerily similar, at least in their qualities. Do you prefer one over the other?
@@RickMacDonnell It's an older book, so more philosophy, less shocking, less sex. Had the same Kafkaesque feel in my view. I preferred it (maybe I'm getting old, haha). I won't say too much, hope you enjoy it and make a video for us.
This is one of my favorite books and I have read it 2x. I know I will read it again it is just that good 😚
Great video, Rick. The book sounds very interesting. I might have to give it a try one day.
Just finished listening to the audiobook (26 hours! Ooof! By it had an excellent reader - Nicholas Boulton). I had the same reaction as Rick - I was pulled into the book, even as I often felt like it was impossible to figure out what was going on, or why Nick kept playing along once he started doubting Conchis' motives, etc. And in the end, I quite disliked Nick. But I wanted to know what was going on all the way through to the very end (which, ** spoiler?** by the way, ends ambiguously). Very glad I read the book, but not sure I can say that I "liked" the book. One of those books I had meant to read for year and years - and finally, at age 66.... But it is a book that a 20 year old college student, like I was back then, would have totally gotten into (makes me think, in a way, of Hesse's "Steppenwolf").
So astute. Reminded me of Herman Hesse and Lawrence Durrell. BTW Nick Boulton is my favorite reader. He reads the Alexandrian Quartet- it’s worth a go if you liked this. I’m going to have to get a copy of this read by Boulton
Fowles studied Carl Jung and many of the answers you seek are contained in Jungian psychology as most of the book is about individuation... and other Jungian aspects such as the shadow, the anima/animus. Reality is stranger than (science) fiction....
“If you’re trapped in the dream of the other, you’re fucked.” Gilles Deleuze
Conchis = consious
Urfe = earth
There's also deception
Before you get started too good I've got to comment on that sweater/turtleneck, it is dope where can I get one. Oh yeah it looked righ5 zipped all the way.
I spent a few months in Greece during the summer of 2002 island hoping when I came across this book in a bookshop on the island of Mykonos (to see the ruins on the small island of Delos one has to take a small boat from the very strange island of Mykonos). While traveling the islands I had a mini theme that a book had to be written by a Greek Author (this meant I read several books by Kazantzakis, even his so-called controversial one) or the story in the novel takes place in Greece. Obviously, the Magus falls into this latter category because of the Greek island, even though it was a fictional island. I read straight through the book I was so captured by the plot and the interesting manipulations, parts of it were a little cheeky and programmatic but I can see why it is on the Modern Library list of books.
Edit: Interesting the age range you gave, as I was 40 when I came across it in 2002.
I was a grade school kid in the 1960s and there were three books that formed a literary zeitgeist of the older youths around me: Cat's Cradle, Steppenwolf, and The Magus. Those novels are part of my collective DNA.
Like your review, very much to the point. When I started reading it, I had no clue what the book is about. I kept guessing what the main character is experiencing: magic or tricks. Then reading about Fowles online I came across a comparison of the movie The Game (with Michael Douglas) to this book, so I started reading more carefully looking for the truth. I really enjoyed it and I think this is the only book that I finished reading and wanted to re-read right away :) Because it left me with lots of questions. The ending was confusing, but I understand you should accept the ending as you see it.
Oh this book would make a fantastic re-read. It would be just as entertaining/mystifying the second time around 😄 Thanks for watching!
i read this book when I was seventeen and still I havent get over it
The mother of my ex girlfriend gave me this book when I was 19, right before I went on a 5 month trip to the other side of the planet with her daughter. I remember being so deeply invested in the plot of the book that I was able to close out my surroundings and conciously ask myself what the story of the book made me feel, and it influenced me greatly. I honestly have no idea how she knew but my exgirlfriends mother has, through that, had a huge influence on how I percieve myself and I am very grateful for that.
Do you remember if there was something specific she wanted you to take from it? What a fascinating book rec for her!
@@RickMacDonnell i remember she told me that the main character reminded her of me. I don't take it as an insult, I'm upper middle class, danish and my parents are acaddmics and at the time I had a young woman who loved me, so I see the similarities. I distinctly remember asking myself if Nicholas' narration of the story was true or not and concluding that I couldn't judge anything because I had the same input as him. Basically: if he is lying then so would I, probably. That's what I got from it at least, aside from the great descriptions of Greek island nature that I still have to go see for myself.
@@steffenbonde7822 "if he is lying then so would I" is a fascinating takeaway
@@RickMacDonnell thankyou, I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my comment
I have a copy of this book. I'm intrigued
Great review. I actually have a an old copy of this that I picked up after reading The Collector.I love a character having an existential crisis over the possibility of a mundane life. Eg Revolutionary Road. You have sparked my curiosity.
Believe me: this is much different than Revolutionary Road 😂
@@RickMacDonnell haha I went to pick it up but the book I by him have is A Maggot. Guessing that’s nothing like A Revolutionary Road either. 🤣
Omg you crack me up, feel the same way with those damn sweaters 😆😆
I think that it might have something in common with Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse. I've had this book on my tbr since I read The French Lieutenant's Woman. Maybe this year I'll finally read it. Great review, as always!
@sophiaclef I’d recommend it to a curious reader, for sure. I wouldn’t spring it on a random person, but if someone was already thinking about it, I’d say go for it 😊
I read both and you are right. I didn't think about it before but there are similarities. I much more prefer The Magus actually. Herman Hesse is too clinical for me. It's smart but cold and disturbing for me. The Magus is like the Greek amphitheater of the men and women's relationships. Most of the time...fake. Always? Is there an honest reality behind love? A question which follows the book until the very end.
Sorry for my English. I'm French.
@@mip6569 Thanks for replying! I want to read it in summer. Maybe by that time I will have read a few Greek tragedies. I've read only 3, but I really enjoyed them.
@@SophiaClef you really should. It's a great book. People focus too much on the story and the end of the book. I never read a book for its story. I read it for the style first, the poetic touch, the vision of the world you can put in it, the atmosphere.... Anything but the story.
I remember I had a great time reading it. Hope you have either.
Unrelated to this video (this was just the one I watched most recently) ... you've mentioned a Canadian focus a couple of times, but I don't think I've ever heard you talk about Robertson Davies. If you haven't read him at all, definitely do. His books are fantastic. Most people start with the Deptford trilogy, I think, but all of the novels hold up.
I somehow haven’t read Davies before (but am quite familiar with him; hard not to be 😊). Thanks for the suggestion, Troy. I’m not super focused on canlit here (well, it comes and it goes) but he’s definitely on the list
Yes ! Robertson Davies should be a national treasure in Canada !
And other places . He's unique !!🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 !
Hi im making a film based on the Magus, can you read the script and review it?
The Magus is a mind-game about a mind-game. There are no rules of the game. It means whatever you decide it means and you are allowed to change your mind. A book based on such premises will enchant some people and infuriate the rest. Are you drinking the water or the wave? John Fowles, who wrote the original book, also wrote the screenplay for the movie. If the author knew what his story was about he failed to convey that information to the director, actors and film crew. They were all professionals and confessed they had no idea what they were supposed to be doing in the film. The novel's prose style is verbose and often obscure. Much of it will seem pretentious unless you are thrilled by ambiguous literary and mythical references. Be prepared for quotes in various classic languages. I was rather dissatisfied with the book when I read it in my early twenties. I was especially frustrated by the ending of the original novel. I hoped the film might clarify the meaning of the book since the screen-play was by John Fowles and he, presumably, knew what he wanted his text to look like on film. But, no such luck. Maybe I am looking for something that is not there. Or maybe the author is a fraud or an artist manqué like his protagonist.
Me when you started talking about the masks 🤔 This sounds amazing! Gonna check my 1001 books list...
Wouldn’t be surprised at all if it was on there!
@@RickMacDonnell Oh yeah. Four of his books are there. I better get crackin
It was a very long, confusing read. I didn't understand the obscure mythology references... I'm assuming there was some kind of subtext to it because on face value the book just didn't arrive anywhere of interest. I read it in my mid 20's (a good 20 years ago) and it remains the most "I didn't understand that at all" book I've ever finished (but then I didn't finish Naked Lunch). In fact, I found this video whilst looking on You Tube, on a whim, to see if there were any videos explaining it.
I don't understand it any more than you do LOL. I think the general mystery/not knowing what's going on is part of the fun, but I also think it would be fascinating to read, like, an annotated version explaining some things.
'The Magus' - is not - science fiction.
The referenced critic is not named - but whomever said that it would be "better written as science fiction" - is a man.
Doctor Strange vibes, totally distracted through the whole review. 😂
Maurice means dark skinned...so Maurice Conchis...is the metaphorical dark skinned conscious/ness Nicholas outgrew. Nick Urfe, means Victorious Earth. In the end he grounded and assumed full circle the freedom he immaturley wielded at the start...What's in a name hey
Thoughts and prayers re jumper
@SimonThomas I'm leaning into the chaos
Man, if you can talk about a book for 15 minutes straight, yet there is nothing tangible/ applicable/ relatable to real life, that means the book is a waste of time. Personal and very subjective point of view
Well speaking of someone who's spent about 10 hours struggling to read half this book, it's not really a book where much happens. There are some good back stories... But, Whether it makes sense at the end I don't know as I won't be finishing it... It'd be difficult to talk about it it any way that makes sense. It reminds me of a great big pile of postmodern crap I read by Robert Anton Wilson called The Illuminatus Trilogy, cod psychology and mysticism with no heart or soul, relying on the belief that a average reader will Wade through pretentious crap because they are too stubborn or embarrassed to say they have no idea what is going on. The Magus isn't anywhere near as unreadable as that, but I do feel the REAL mind game is going on between John Fowles and the reader, not the two main characters... I don't read for that purpose.
@@mikethebloodthirsty There you go
Fowles is pronounced Fouls
Magus is pronounced Majus
What absolute rubbish. a brilliant book.
"Cras amet, qui nunquam amavit
Et qui nunquam amavit, cras amet'.