Mantissa ~ John Fowles

Mantissa ~ John Fowles

Small vintage paperback
Name of previous owner in ink on first page
Shelf-wear evident buy generally, good condition

Mantissa by John Fowles is a provocative, metafictional novel that unfolds almost entirely within the mind of its protagonist, Miles Greena writer who wakes up in a hospital bed with amnesia. What begins as a surreal medical encounter quickly transforms into a cerebral and often combative dialogue between Miles and Erato, the muse of love poetry, who takes on various feminine archetypes throughout the narrative. Their exchanges blur the lines between reality and fiction, author and creation, exploring themes of inspiration, gender dynamics, and literary theory.

The novel is both a satire and a philosophical experiment, poking at postmodernism, feminist criticism, and the nature of storytelling itself. As Miles struggles to reclaim his identity and creative voice, the reader is drawn into a layered performance of wit, erotic tension, and intellectual sparring. Ultimately, Mantissa is less about plot and more about the act of writingits frustrations, its illusions, and its intimate entanglement with the subconscious. Its a bold, self-referential work that challenges conventional narrative and invites readers to question the very structure of fiction.