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The French Lieutenant's Woman

by John Fowles
The Alchemist Video Summary

The French Lieutenant's Woman Quiz 1

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1. What commentary on society is Fowles making by including the

backstory of Millie, one of Mrs. Poulteney's servants?
Heteronormative prudery is so strong in Victorian society that the lesbian Millie is
shunned for sleeping in Sarah's bed.
⃝ Most servants hate their masters and mistresses, because they know how hypocritical and
shallow the upper classes are.
The vast majority of people at the time lived in abject poverty, and this misery is the dark
underside of the luxurious life that upperclass people like Charles and Ernestina lead.
 ⃝ Social mobility is possible in Victorian society: Millie has the prospect of a bright future in
the middle class if she works hard enough.

2. What is Sam Farrow's main ambition in life?

To become a haberdasher and open a clothes-store of his own, because he has a deep
interest in fashion.
⃝ To become a race-horse jockey, because he has a passion for horses.

⃝ He is an impulsive Don Juan character whose only ambition is to seduce local girls and
make enough money to buy alcohol.
⃝ He would like to be the first butler of Winsyatt when Charles inherits the estate.

3. What is a central difference between Ernestina and Sarah?

⃝ Ernestina's love for Charles is based on his intellect, where Sarah loves him for his social
standing.
Sarah is more of a modern woman than Ernestina, who represents a type of girl very
common in her era.
⃝ Where Sarah is proud of her superior intellect, Ernestina mostly prides herself on her
appearance.
⃝ Ernestina is outspoken and bold where Sarah is soft-spoken and unopinionated.

4. What does the narrator mean when he calls Charles a "born amateur"?
Charles is a dabbler, someone who enjoys doing things to a relatively high level but not
too seriously or professionally, and without any training.
⃝ He has no talent for science, but insists on doing it anyway because he thinks he's very
good at it.
⃝ Charles has little interest in intellectual pursuits for the sake of knowledge, and he collects
fossils merely because he is bored.
⃝ No matter how hard Charles tries, he cannot find a field he is passionate about, so he ends
up studying everything.

5. Why is Charles effectively 'disinherited' in Chapter 26?

⃝ Uncle Robert disapproves of Charles' engagement to lower-class Ernestina, and can't bear
the thought of her being the mistress of the house.
⃝ Uncle Robert never actually intended to bequeath the estate to Charles, this is just the first
time he has made this clear.
Uncle Robert is marrying again, and he wants to leave the estate to any new heirs that he
fathers.
 ⃝ Uncle Robert does not think Charles would be able to manage the property, and he has left
the house to another young relative better-suited to the task.

6. Why does Mrs. Poulteney dismiss Sarah from her service?

She was told that Sarah was seen disobeying her orders by walking near the Undercliff.

⃝ Mrs. Poulteney is exasperated by Sarah's increasing melancholia, which stops her from
doing her job.
⃝ Sarah's one-year contract was finished, and Mrs. Poulteney felt she no longer needed a
companion to read to her.
⃝ Mrs. Poulteney learned about Sarah's potentially scandalous meetings with Charles and
wanted to avoid bringing the scandal into her household.

7. Which of the following best describes Sarah's feelings for Charles in the
first half of the novel?
⃝ Her feelings mostly consist of disdain - she is a modern woman, and she knows he is very
much a product of his era.
⃝ She is sexually attracted to him, and avoids him lest she should be tempted to seduce him.

⃝ She is intellectually fascinated by him, and wants to engage with him as intellectual equals.

Her feelings are ambiguous, and consist of conflicting urges to seek him out and push
him away.

8. Why did Mrs. Poulteney take Sarah on as a companion?

⃝ Because Mrs. Poulteney desperately needed someone to fill the position, and no one else
applied.
⃝ Because Sarah is a distant relative, and Mrs. Poulteney believes that family should stick
together.
⃝ Because Sarah came highly recommended by Mrs. Poulteney's best friend.

Because she wants to improve her reputation and her chance of going to heaven by doing
charitable acts.

9. What does Dr. Grogan think is the best course of action for Charles to
take regarding Sarah in Chapter 27?
He wants Charles to leave Lyme Regis for a while, and allow Dr. Grogan to take Sarah to
an asylum.
⃝ He encourages Charles to follow his heart and break off his engagement with Ernestina, so
that he can be with Sarah.
⃝ Dr. Grogan wants Charles to go meet Sarah and persuade her to leave Lyme Regis forever,
and find work as a governess elsewhere.
 ⃝ Dr. Grogan thinks that Charles and he should do nothing - Sarah is none of their business
anymore.

10. Where do Charles and Sarah Woodruff first meet?

⃝ Near Ware Commons, when Charles stops to drink milk at The Dairy.

⃝ At a party at Mrs. Poulteney's house.

⃝ On the beach, while they are both looking for fossils.

On the Cobb, while Charles is walking with Ernestina.

11. Which of the following lists contains images or adjectives that are all
used to describe Sarah Woodruff at some point in the novel?
⃝ Tender, sincere, believable, as delicate as a leaf

⃝ Grateful, as beautiful as a sunrise, helpless, humble

A dark figure, tomboyish, mysterious, like a dangerous sea, irresistible

⃝ Haughty, stubborn, as mysterious as exotic countries

12. Which list of characters is ordered correctly according to their social

class (lowest to highest)?
Millie, Mary, Mrs. Poulteney, Ernestina, Charles

⃝ Sam, Mary, Aunt Tranter, Mrs. Poulteney, Charles, Ernestina

⃝ Millie, Sam, Aunt Tranter, Uncle Robert, Ernestina

⃝ Mary, Millie, Dr. Grogan, Sarah, Mrs. Poulteney, Charles

13. Before she even meets the French lieutenant, why does Sarah feel she
can't get married?
She has a low social and economic status, but a good education; she scorns the men of
the class she was born into, but cannot marry into the upper classes.
⃝ Sarah must work to support her aging father, and she doesn't have time to take on the
extra responsibility of a marriage and children.
⃝ As a modern woman, Sarah has no interest in the institution of marriage, and prefers to live
independently as a governess.
⃝ Sarah is hopelessly in love with a man who will not have her, so she vows not to marry
anyone.

14. What do the case studies that Dr. Grogan gives Charles to read in
Chapters 27-28 suggest about women?
 ⃝ The plight of the woman is that she cannot enter the workforce, and when confined to the
home sphere she becomes restless and dangerous.
⃝ Women are not to be trusted, because they are naturally more mendacious than men.

Although men think of woman as frail, they are actually able to inflict great pain on
themselves to get what they want.
⃝ Women will have sex in order to be loved, while men have sex to satisfy natural desires or
to increase their social standing.

15. In Chapter 35, Fowles likens sex to apples in order to compare the
sexual conventions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. What
conclusion does he draw from this comparison?
Victorian sexuality consisted of a denial of sex - which Fowles likens to physical hunger.
The result was that Victorians were more obsessed by sex than modern people are, because we
have easy access to the "apples" in the orchard around us and can eat our fill of them so that we
are never hungry.
⃝ Sex has always been viewed as healthy for the soul, just as apples are seen as healthy for
the body.
⃝ Both eras are largely disinterested in sex. In the nineteenth century, sex was not at all
mysterious due to increased sexual and scientific education, and so people were not 'hungry' for
sex (or 'apples') like they had been in previous centuries. In the twentieth century, increased
promiscuity has made everyone sick of sex (or 'apples').
⃝ Sex in the Victorian era was primarily a necessity, like eating fruit and vegetables is
necessary to one's health. People only had sex then because it was their duty to procreate.
Nowadays we have sex for pleasure, which is like eating fruit because it is sweet, not because it
is healthy to do so.

16. Who is the "great novelist" who "towers over" the Victorian England
which Fowles is writing about?
⃝ John Fowles himself

Thomas Hardy

⃝ Jane Austen

⃝ Charles Dickens

17. How does Sarah appear to be feeling when we see her for the first time
in Exeter, in Chapter 36?
⃝ Thrilled to be able to walk through the city without being recognized as the "French
Lieutenant's Woman."
Enjoying herself, and pleased to be able to furnish her new room with her own purchases.

⃝ Ambivalent about her new surroundings, and desperately missing Charles.

 ⃝ Downcast, as she realizes that her life is unlikely to go anywhere as long as she is stuck in
the seedy underbelly of a big city.

18. Why is Charles hesitant to accept the offer of a business partnership

that Ernestina's father makes him?
⃝ He is unsure whether he intends to marry Ernestina, and going into business with her
father would trap him into a marriage.
He is aristocratic, and according to societal convention it would be beneath him to
become involved in commerce.
⃝ He has no interest in commerce, and thinks that it would take too much of his time away
from his real passion: paleontology.
⃝ Charles doesn't believe that business is a worthwhile pursuit for someone of his
intellectual capabilities.

19. Why is Charles a "victim of evolution"?

⃝ Charles is a victim of evolution because he doesn't really understand the concepts that he
claims to believe in, since he is only an amateur scientist.
The middle classes are much more savvy and ambitious than the aristocratic and
purposeless Charles, and they will eventually overtake him as he fails to adapt to the changing
social environment.
⃝ His interest in paleontology alienates him from his peers and from his father-in-law, who
doesn't believe in evolution.
⃝ Instead of being attracted to his upper-class fiancée, Charles is drawn to lower-class
Sarah, who hurts his good name and his status.

20. What is the main difference between Sam Farrow (Charles' manservant)
and Sam Weller (a servant in a Dickens novel), as described in Chapter
7?
⃝ Sam Farrow is treated much better by the sympathetic Charles than Sam Weller is by his
cruel master.
⃝ Sam Weller is contemptuous of his master, while Sam Farrow is devoted to his employer.

⃝ Sam Farrow belongs to the middle class, while Sam Weller is firmly lower-class.

Sam Weller is happy enough with his position of servitude, while Sam Farrow resents
being ordered around by his master Charles.

21. What is the lower-class view of premarital sex, as outlined in Chapter

35?
⃝ They are scandalized by the idea of premarital sex, and those who engage in it become
social pariahs like Sarah Woodruff.
 It is very much the normal thing to do, and many marriages happen once the woman is
already pregnant.
⃝ There is little difference between how the lower classes and the upper classes view sex:
premarital sex is unacceptable in all social classes.
⃝ Christianity prevents the highly religious lower classes from having any premarital sex.

22. What aspect of London appeals most to Charles, as suggested in

Chapter 38?
London is such a large city that it is possible to be anonymous there, and possibly to have
sexual encounters with no consequences.
⃝ Charles was bored in Lyme Regis, and London offers endless cultural and social
entertainment in clubs and theaters.
⃝ Charles enjoys being around people of his own social class again, instead of mingling with
the middle classes in Lyme Regis.
⃝ London is where Charles lives, and he feels a deep sense of comfort in the place, a sense
of being at home born from familiarity.

23. When Charles gets drunk at his gentlemen's club, what does he decide
will fix "all his troubles" (238)?
Having sex.

⃝ Breaking off his engagement with Ernestina.

⃝ Visiting Sarah in Exeter.

⃝ Sobering up.

24. Why does Charles' encounter with the prostitute in London end with
him vomiting on the bed?
⃝ He is morally appalled by what he is doing - learning that the prostitute has a daughter is
the final straw.
⃝ He has had too much to drink, and the food the prostitute gives him to eat unsettles his
stomach to the point of vomiting.
⃝ He is appalled by how dirty the house is, and the squalor in which the lower classes live.

He has drunk too much alcohol, and is pushed over the edge when he learns that the
prostitute's name is Sarah.

25. Charles receives two letters the morning after his near-miss with Sarah
the prostitute - whom are they from, and what do they say?
⃝ One letter is a plea from Ernestina for Charles to return to Lyme; the other is a plea from
Sarah to come visit her in Exeter as soon as he can, because she is in trouble again.
 One is from Dr. Grogan, encouraging him to come clean with Ernestina; the other is from
Sarah and contains her new address.
⃝ One is from Dr. Grogan with news of Sarah's departure from Lyme; the other is a love letter
from Ernestina.
⃝ One is from Mr. Freeman, asking Charles to come discuss financial matters with him; the
other is from Uncle Robert, asking his nephew to visit.

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The French Lieutenant’s Woman Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a great resource to ask
questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

How does Fowles present the theme
of change?
Darwinism is controversial partly for
the reason that its implications are
huge, and extend beyond the realm of
biology. Thanks to Darwin's ideas, the
Victorians are beginning to realize that
everything "is in reality a continuous
flux," and...
Asked by Michail P #1051760
Answered by Aslan 4 months ago
11/4/2020 11:42 PM
why does Sarah decide to leave
Charles after consumating their
relationship
She wants Charles to make a choice,
not feel as if he were forced to choose
because they consumated their
relationship.
Asked by Daphne H #530186
Answered by jill d #170087 5 years
ago 5/16/2016 11:59 PM
Name and explain the privilege of
the First Estate during the French
Revolution.
The first estate consisted of the
religious leaders who were in charge
of the Church. Regardless of the fact
that these church leaders represented
a mere 1% of France's total
population, they controlled almost
10% of its land in France. These...
Asked by kathryn k #209389
Answered by jill d #170087 9 years
ago 12/5/2011 12:12 PM

Essays for The French Lieutenant’s Woman

The French Lieutenant's Woman essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written
primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Knowles.

The Conclusions of The French Lieutanant’s Woman and the Author’s Clear Preference
The French Lieutenant’s Woman and the Possibility of Feminism
The Issue of Desire in Literature

Wikipedia Entries for The French Lieutenant’s Woman

Introduction
Background
Plot summary
Characters
Style and structure
1. What commentary on society is Fowles making by
including the backstory of Millie, one of Mrs.
Poulteney's servants?
SOCIAL MOBILITY IS POSSIBLE IN VICTORIAN SOCIETY:
MILLIE HAS THE PROSPECT OF A BRIGHT FUTURE IN
THE MIDDLE CLASS IF SHE WORKS HARD ENOUGH.
HETERONORMATIVE PRUDERY IS SO STRONG IN
VICTORIAN SOCIETY THAT THE LESBIAN MILLIE IS
SHUNNED FOR SLEEPING IN SARAH'S BED.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE AT THE TIME LIVED IN
ABJECT POVERTY, AND THIS MISERY IS THE DARK
UNDERSIDE OF THE LUXURIOUS LIFE THAT
UPPERCLASS PEOPLE LIKE CHARLES AND ERNESTINA
LEAD.
MOST SERVANTS HATE THEIR MASTERS AND
MISTRESSES, BECAUSE THEY KNOW HOW
HYPOCRITICAL AND SHALLOW THE UPPER CLASSES
ARE.
2. 2What is Sam Farrow's main ambition in life?
HE IS AN IMPULSIVE DON JUAN CHARACTER WHOSE
ONLY AMBITION IS TO SEDUCE LOCAL GIRLS AND MAKE
ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY ALCOHOL.
TO BECOME A HABERDASHER AND OPEN A CLOTHES-
STORE OF HIS OWN, BECAUSE HE HAS A DEEP
INTEREST IN FASHION.
HE WOULD LIKE TO BE THE FIRST BUTLER OF
WINSYATT WHEN CHARLES INHERITS THE ESTATE.
TO BECOME A RACE-HORSE JOCKEY, BECAUSE HE HAS
A PASSION FOR HORSES.
3. 3What is a central difference between Ernestina and
Sarah?
ERNESTINA IS OUTSPOKEN AND BOLD WHERE SARAH
IS SOFT-SPOKEN AND UNOPINIONATED.
ERNESTINA'S LOVE FOR CHARLES IS BASED ON HIS
INTELLECT, WHERE SARAH LOVES HIM FOR HIS SOCIAL
STANDING.
 SARAH IS MORE OF A MODERN WOMAN THAN
ERNESTINA, WHO REPRESENTS A TYPE OF GIRL VERY
COMMON IN HER ERA.
WHERE SARAH IS PROUD OF HER SUPERIOR
INTELLECT, ERNESTINA MOSTLY PRIDES HERSELF ON
HER APPEARANCE.
4. 4What does the narrator mean when he calls Charles a
"born amateur"?
HE HAS NO TALENT FOR SCIENCE, BUT INSISTS ON
DOING IT ANYWAY BECAUSE HE THINKS HE'S VERY
GOOD AT IT.
NO MATTER HOW HARD CHARLES TRIES, HE CANNOT
FIND A FIELD HE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT, SO HE ENDS
UP STUDYING EVERYTHING.
CHARLES HAS LITTLE INTEREST IN INTELLECTUAL
PURSUITS FOR THE SAKE OF KNOWLEDGE, AND HE
COLLECTS FOSSILS MERELY BECAUSE HE IS BORED.
CHARLES IS A DABBLER, SOMEONE WHO ENJOYS
DOING THINGS TO A RELATIVELY HIGH LEVEL BUT NOT
TOO SERIOUSLY OR PROFESSIONALLY, AND WITHOUT
ANY TRAINING.
5. 5Why is Charles effectively 'disinherited' in Chapter
26?
UNCLE ROBERT DISAPPROVES OF CHARLES'
ENGAGEMENT TO LOWER-CLASS ERNESTINA, AND
CAN'T BEAR THE THOUGHT OF HER BEING THE
MISTRESS OF THE HOUSE.
UNCLE ROBERT IS MARRYING AGAIN, AND HE WANTS
TO LEAVE THE ESTATE TO ANY NEW HEIRS THAT HE
FATHERS.
UNCLE ROBERT DOES NOT THINK CHARLES WOULD BE
ABLE TO MANAGE THE PROPERTY, AND HE HAS LEFT
THE HOUSE TO ANOTHER YOUNG RELATIVE BETTER-
SUITED TO THE TASK.
UNCLE ROBERT NEVER ACTUALLY INTENDED TO
BEQUEATH THE ESTATE TO CHARLES, THIS IS JUST THE
FIRST TIME HE HAS MADE THIS CLEAR.
6. 6Why does Mrs. Poulteney dismiss Sarah from her
service?
SARAH'S ONE-YEAR CONTRACT WAS FINISHED, AND
MRS. POULTENEY FELT SHE NO LONGER NEEDED A
COMPANION TO READ TO HER.
MRS. POULTENEY LEARNED ABOUT SARAH'S
POTENTIALLY SCANDALOUS MEETINGS WITH CHARLES
AND WANTED TO AVOID BRINGING THE SCANDAL INTO
HER HOUSEHOLD.
MRS. POULTENEY IS EXASPERATED BY SARAH'S
INCREASING MELANCHOLIA, WHICH STOPS HER FROM
DOING HER JOB.
SHE WAS TOLD THAT SARAH WAS SEEN DISOBEYING
HER ORDERS BY WALKING NEAR THE UNDERCLIFF.
7. 7Which of the following best describes Sarah's feelings
for Charles in the first half of the novel?
SHE IS SEXUALLY ATTRACTED TO HIM, AND AVOIDS
HIM LEST SHE SHOULD BE TEMPTED TO SEDUCE HIM.
HER FEELINGS MOSTLY CONSIST OF DISDAIN - SHE IS A
MODERN WOMAN, AND SHE KNOWS HE IS VERY MUCH
A PRODUCT OF HIS ERA.
HER FEELINGS ARE AMBIGUOUS, AND CONSIST OF
CONFLICTING URGES TO SEEK HIM OUT AND PUSH HIM
AWAY.
SHE IS INTELLECTUALLY FASCINATED BY HIM, AND
WANTS TO ENGAGE WITH HIM AS INTELLECTUAL
EQUALS.
8. 8Why did Mrs. Poulteney take Sarah on as a
companion?
BECAUSE SARAH IS A DISTANT RELATIVE, AND MRS.
POULTENEY BELIEVES THAT FAMILY SHOULD STICK
TOGETHER.
BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO IMPROVE HER REPUTATION
AND HER CHANCE OF GOING TO HEAVEN BY DOING
CHARITABLE ACTS.
 BECAUSE MRS. POULTENEY DESPERATELY NEEDED
SOMEONE TO FILL THE POSITION, AND NO ONE ELSE
APPLIED.
BECAUSE SARAH CAME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY
MRS. POULTENEY'S BEST FRIEND.
9. 9What does Dr. Grogan think is the best course of
action for Charles to take regarding Sarah in Chapter
27?
DR. GROGAN THINKS THAT CHARLES AND HE SHOULD
DO NOTHING - SARAH IS NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS
ANYMORE.
HE WANTS CHARLES TO LEAVE LYME REGIS FOR A
WHILE, AND ALLOW DR. GROGAN TO TAKE SARAH TO
AN ASYLUM.
HE ENCOURAGES CHARLES TO FOLLOW HIS HEART
AND BREAK OFF HIS ENGAGEMENT WITH ERNESTINA,
SO THAT HE CAN BE WITH SARAH.
DR. GROGAN WANTS CHARLES TO GO MEET SARAH
AND PERSUADE HER TO LEAVE LYME REGIS FOREVER,
AND FIND WORK AS A GOVERNESS ELSEWHERE.
10. 10Where do Charles and Sarah Woodruff first meet?
AT A PARTY AT MRS. POULTENEY'S HOUSE.
ON THE BEACH, WHILE THEY ARE BOTH LOOKING FOR
FOSSILS.
ON THE COBB, WHILE CHARLES IS WALKING WITH
ERNESTINA.
NEAR WARE COMMONS, WHEN CHARLES STOPS TO
DRINK MILK AT THE DAIRY.
11. 11Which of the following lists contains images or
adjectives that are all used to describe Sarah Woodruff
at some point in the novel?
HAUGHTY, STUBBORN, AS MYSTERIOUS AS EXOTIC
COUNTRIES
GRATEFUL, AS BEAUTIFUL AS A SUNRISE, HELPLESS,
HUMBLE
TENDER, SINCERE, BELIEVABLE, AS DELICATE AS A
LEAF
 A DARK FIGURE, TOMBOYISH, MYSTERIOUS, LIKE A
DANGEROUS SEA, IRRESISTIBLE
12. 12Which list of characters is ordered correctly
according to their social class (lowest to highest)?
SAM, MARY, AUNT TRANTER, MRS. POULTENEY,
CHARLES, ERNESTINA
MILLIE, MARY, MRS. POULTENEY, ERNESTINA, CHARLES
MILLIE, SAM, AUNT TRANTER, UNCLE ROBERT,
ERNESTINA
MARY, MILLIE, DR. GROGAN, SARAH, MRS. POULTENEY,
CHARLES
13. 13Before she even meets the French lieutenant, why
does Sarah feel she can't get married?
AS A MODERN WOMAN, SARAH HAS NO INTEREST IN
THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE, AND PREFERS TO LIVE
INDEPENDENTLY AS A GOVERNESS.
SARAH IS HOPELESSLY IN LOVE WITH A MAN WHO WILL
NOT HAVE HER, SO SHE VOWS NOT TO MARRY
ANYONE.
SHE HAS A LOW SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STATUS, BUT
A GOOD EDUCATION; SHE SCORNS THE MEN OF THE
CLASS SHE WAS BORN INTO, BUT CANNOT MARRY
INTO THE UPPER CLASSES.
SARAH MUST WORK TO SUPPORT HER AGING FATHER,
AND SHE DOESN'T HAVE TIME TO TAKE ON THE EXTRA
RESPONSIBILITY OF A MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN.
14. 14What do the case studies that Dr. Grogan gives
Charles to read in Chapters 27-28 suggest about
women?
ALTHOUGH MEN THINK OF WOMAN AS FRAIL, THEY
ARE ACTUALLY ABLE TO INFLICT GREAT PAIN ON
THEMSELVES TO GET WHAT THEY WANT.
WOMEN ARE NOT TO BE TRUSTED, BECAUSE THEY ARE
NATURALLY MORE MENDACIOUS THAN MEN.
THE PLIGHT OF THE WOMAN IS THAT SHE CANNOT
ENTER THE WORKFORCE, AND WHEN CONFINED TO
 THE HOME SPHERE SHE BECOMES RESTLESS AND
DANGEROUS.
WOMEN WILL HAVE SEX IN ORDER TO BE LOVED,
WHILE MEN HAVE SEX TO SATISFY NATURAL DESIRES
OR TO INCREASE THEIR SOCIAL STANDING.
15. 15In Chapter 35, Fowles likens sex to apples in order
to compare the sexual conventions of the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries. What conclusion does he draw
from this comparison?
VICTORIAN SEXUALITY CONSISTED OF A DENIAL OF
SEX - WHICH FOWLES LIKENS TO PHYSICAL HUNGER.
THE RESULT WAS THAT VICTORIANS WERE MORE
OBSESSED BY SEX THAN MODERN PEOPLE ARE,
BECAUSE WE HAVE EASY ACCESS TO THE "APPLES" IN
THE ORCHARD AROUND US AND CAN EAT OUR FILL OF
THEM SO THAT WE ARE NEVER HUNGRY.
BOTH ERAS ARE LARGELY DISINTERESTED IN SEX. IN
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, SEX WAS NOT AT ALL
MYSTERIOUS DUE TO INCREASED SEXUAL AND
SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION, AND SO PEOPLE WERE NOT
'HUNGRY' FOR SEX (OR 'APPLES') LIKE THEY HAD BEEN
IN PREVIOUS CENTURIES. IN THE TWENTIETH
CENTURY, INCREASED PROMISCUITY HAS MADE
EVERYONE SICK OF SEX (OR 'APPLES').
SEX IN THE VICTORIAN ERA WAS PRIMARILY A
NECESSITY, LIKE EATING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES IS
NECESSARY TO ONE'S HEALTH. PEOPLE ONLY HAD SEX
THEN BECAUSE IT WAS THEIR DUTY TO PROCREATE.
NOWADAYS WE HAVE SEX FOR PLEASURE, WHICH IS
LIKE EATING FRUIT BECAUSE IT IS SWEET, NOT
BECAUSE IT IS HEALTHY TO DO SO.
SEX HAS ALWAYS BEEN VIEWED AS HEALTHY FOR THE
SOUL, JUST AS APPLES ARE SEEN AS HEALTHY FOR THE
BODY.
16. 16Who is the "great novelist" who "towers over" the
Victorian England which Fowles is writing about?
JOHN FOWLES HIMSELF
CHARLES DICKENS
 JANE AUSTEN
THOMAS HARDY
17. 17How does Sarah appear to be feeling when we see
her for the first time in Exeter, in Chapter 36?
AMBIVALENT ABOUT HER NEW SURROUNDINGS, AND
DESPERATELY MISSING CHARLES.
DOWNCAST, AS SHE REALIZES THAT HER LIFE IS
UNLIKELY TO GO ANYWHERE AS LONG AS SHE IS
STUCK IN THE SEEDY UNDERBELLY OF A BIG CITY.
THRILLED TO BE ABLE TO WALK THROUGH THE CITY
WITHOUT BEING RECOGNIZED AS THE "FRENCH
LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN."
ENJOYING HERSELF, AND PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO
FURNISH HER NEW ROOM WITH HER OWN PURCHASES.
18. 18Why is Charles hesitant to accept the offer of a
business partnership that Ernestina's father makes
him?
HE IS ARISTOCRATIC, AND ACCORDING TO SOCIETAL
CONVENTION IT WOULD BE BENEATH HIM TO BECOME
INVOLVED IN COMMERCE.
HE IS UNSURE WHETHER HE INTENDS TO MARRY
ERNESTINA, AND GOING INTO BUSINESS WITH HER
FATHER WOULD TRAP HIM INTO A MARRIAGE.
CHARLES DOESN'T BELIEVE THAT BUSINESS IS A
WORTHWHILE PURSUIT FOR SOMEONE OF HIS
INTELLECTUAL CAPABILITIES.
HE HAS NO INTEREST IN COMMERCE, AND THINKS
THAT IT WOULD TAKE TOO MUCH OF HIS TIME AWAY
FROM HIS REAL PASSION: PALEONTOLOGY.
19. 19Why is Charles a "victim of evolution"?
THE MIDDLE CLASSES ARE MUCH MORE SAVVY AND
AMBITIOUS THAN THE ARISTOCRATIC AND
PURPOSELESS CHARLES, AND THEY WILL EVENTUALLY
OVERTAKE HIM AS HE FAILS TO ADAPT TO THE
CHANGING SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT.
INSTEAD OF BEING ATTRACTED TO HIS UPPER-CLASS
FIANCÉE, CHARLES IS DRAWN TO LOWER-CLASS
 SARAH, WHO HURTS HIS GOOD NAME AND HIS
STATUS.
CHARLES IS A VICTIM OF EVOLUTION BECAUSE HE
DOESN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTS THAT
HE CLAIMS TO BELIEVE IN, SINCE HE IS ONLY AN
AMATEUR SCIENTIST.
HIS INTEREST IN PALEONTOLOGY ALIENATES HIM FROM
HIS PEERS AND FROM HIS FATHER-IN-LAW, WHO
DOESN'T BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION.
20. 20What is the main difference between Sam Farrow
(Charles' manservant) and Sam Weller (a servant in a
Dickens novel), as described in Chapter 7?
SAM FARROW BELONGS TO THE MIDDLE CLASS, WHILE
SAM WELLER IS FIRMLY LOWER-CLASS.
SAM WELLER IS CONTEMPTUOUS OF HIS MASTER,
WHILE SAM FARROW IS DEVOTED TO HIS EMPLOYER.
SAM WELLER IS HAPPY ENOUGH WITH HIS POSITION OF
SERVITUDE, WHILE SAM FARROW RESENTS BEING
ORDERED AROUND BY HIS MASTER CHARLES.
SAM FARROW IS TREATED MUCH BETTER BY THE
SYMPATHETIC CHARLES THAN SAM WELLER IS BY HIS
CRUEL MASTER.
21. 21What is the lower-class view of premarital sex, as
outlined in Chapter 35?
CHRISTIANITY PREVENTS THE HIGHLY RELIGIOUS
LOWER CLASSES FROM HAVING ANY PREMARITAL SEX.
IT IS VERY MUCH THE NORMAL THING TO DO, AND
MANY MARRIAGES HAPPEN ONCE THE WOMAN IS
ALREADY PREGNANT.
THEY ARE SCANDALIZED BY THE IDEA OF PREMARITAL
SEX, AND THOSE WHO ENGAGE IN IT BECOME SOCIAL
PARIAHS LIKE SARAH WOODRUFF.
THERE IS LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOW THE
LOWER CLASSES AND THE UPPER CLASSES VIEW SEX:
PREMARITAL SEX IS UNACCEPTABLE IN ALL SOCIAL
CLASSES.
22. 22What aspect of London appeals most to Charles,
as suggested in Chapter 38?
CHARLES WAS BORED IN LYME REGIS, AND LONDON
OFFERS ENDLESS CULTURAL AND SOCIAL
ENTERTAINMENT IN CLUBS AND THEATERS.
LONDON IS WHERE CHARLES LIVES, AND HE FEELS A
DEEP SENSE OF COMFORT IN THE PLACE, A SENSE OF
BEING AT HOME BORN FROM FAMILIARITY.
CHARLES ENJOYS BEING AROUND PEOPLE OF HIS OWN
SOCIAL CLASS AGAIN, INSTEAD OF MINGLING WITH
THE MIDDLE CLASSES IN LYME REGIS.
LONDON IS SUCH A LARGE CITY THAT IT IS POSSIBLE
TO BE ANONYMOUS THERE, AND POSSIBLY TO HAVE
SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS WITH NO CONSEQUENCES.
23. 23When Charles gets drunk at his gentlemen's club,
what does he decide will fix "all his troubles" (238)?
VISITING SARAH IN EXETER.
HAVING SEX.
SOBERING UP.
BREAKING OFF HIS ENGAGEMENT WITH ERNESTINA.

24. 24Why does Charles' encounter with the prostitute in

London end with him vomiting on the bed?
HE IS MORALLY APPALLED BY WHAT HE IS DOING -
LEARNING THAT THE PROSTITUTE HAS A DAUGHTER IS
THE FINAL STRAW.
HE HAS DRUNK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL, AND IS PUSHED
OVER THE EDGE WHEN HE LEARNS THAT THE
PROSTITUTE'S NAME IS SARAH.
HE HAS HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK, AND THE FOOD
THE PROSTITUTE GIVES HIM TO EAT UNSETTLES HIS
STOMACH TO THE POINT OF VOMITING.
HE IS APPALLED BY HOW DIRTY THE HOUSE IS, AND
THE SQUALOR IN WHICH THE LOWER CLASSES LIVE.
25. 25Charles receives two letters the morning after his
near-miss with Sarah the prostitute - whom are they
from, and what do they say?
ONE IS FROM DR. GROGAN, ENCOURAGING HIM TO
COME CLEAN WITH ERNESTINA; THE OTHER IS FROM
SARAH AND CONTAINS HER NEW ADDRESS.
ONE IS FROM DR. GROGAN WITH NEWS OF SARAH'S
DEPARTURE FROM LYME; THE OTHER IS A LOVE
LETTER FROM ERNESTINA.
ONE IS FROM MR. FREEMAN, ASKING CHARLES TO
COME DISCUSS FINANCIAL MATTERS WITH HIM; THE
OTHER IS FROM UNCLE ROBERT, ASKING HIS NEPHEW
TO VISIT.
ONE LETTER IS A PLEA FROM ERNESTINA FOR CHARLES
TO RETURN TO LYME; THE OTHER IS A PLEA FROM
SARAH TO COME VISIT HER IN EXETER AS SOON AS HE
CAN, BECAUSE SHE IS IN TROUBLE AGAIN.