Talk:The Magus (novel)

message: In William Goldman's book Adventures in the Screen Trade (1983), he writes: "There is a very funny line, attributed to the late Peter Sellers, who was asked to answer the question "What would you change if you had your life to live over?" And Sellers replied, "I would do everything exactly the same except I wouldn't see The Magus.""
I would suggest Woody Allen is not the originator of the quote. Perhaps this can be corrected.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.6.112.69 (talk) 19:13, 7 May 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Quote in Film Adaptation 

message: This has nothing to do with the article (and should probably be deleted), but has anyone read this?  It is easily one of the best and richest books I've ever read, and is especially exceptional for a first novel.  It seems almost forgotten today, though. ka1iban 15:43, 28 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: This is the book that got me through the weird transitional post-adolescent phase of my life. It has been my favourite book for around 8 years now, and that's not likely to change soon. It is amazing. --Ashenai 10:16, 16 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Discussion!  Yay!  Yes, this is a really great book and interestingly was apparently his first; the Collector was written after when he didn't think he could sell the Magus.  I've always found the Collector to be a better character study but the Magus more engrossing, enigmatic and overall more satisfying (if in an unsatisfying way) ka1iban 14:24, 16 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes, I enjoyed the Collector... but it failed to transcend the "excellent book" category in my head. Have you read Daniel Martin, by the way? Definitely my second favourite Fowles book. And Mantissa would be a close third. I wouldn't recommend either to everyone, but if you made it through The Magus, you'll enjoy Daniel Martin, and if you enjoyed the enigmas, then you'll like Mantissa (though it leaves one with that hors-d'euvre feeling, whereas The Magus is a main course). --Ashenai 14:41, 16 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm trying to read them in order of publication, and I finished The French Lieutenant's Woman recently, so Daniel Martin should be up next.  I was grossly disappointed by the film of FLW, though.  I picked up a first printing of Mantissa at my local used book store a while back, and i've got it squirreled away for when I'm ready for it.
The above comments, though very interesting, belong in a forum.Lestrade (talk) 20:46, 17 March 2013 (UTC)

text: Where would you recommend? Skweeds (talk) 17:54, 2 November 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Good Book 

message: The original is so great and has such an awesome ending but the revision is just not the same book, and is not so good. I guess that the only way to mention this is to go and find critics to site? I teach art to college students in chicago, and I use Fowles rewrite as an example of what not to do.
: It would be great if someone could expand on the differences between the original and revised editions in this article.  Not having read the revision, I can't do it myself.  But I'd be very interested to know what, specifically, he changed.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.197.23.143 (talk) 04:44, 14 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Revision 

message: Quick question - the article mentions the first printing in the UK in 1966 but was the novel not published first in the US a year before? Is there a reason that is not the first edition mentioned? Cheers, --Septemberfourth476 (talk) 09:35, 2 May 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  First Edition 

message: Hi,
This sentence doesn't seem to be accurate, so I'm going to edit it out: "..Alison Kelly, an Australian girl he meets at a party in London. To get away from an increasingly serious relationship with her, Nicholas accepts a post teaching English". Nicholas applied for this job after first having troubles finding employment, and then being unhappy with teaching in a school in England. This happens before he meets Alison. The relationship is not a reason for his departure to Greece, it just failed to prevent him from going. 
So this is what I wrote instead:  69.119.232.155 (talk) 01:05, 10 February 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Plot section 

message: Substituted at 08:15, 30 April 2016 (UTC)
thread_title: Assessment comment

message: In chapter 7, “The Private Asshole”: “I noticed a worn copy of The Magus by John Fowles…” it’s significant to the plot of a major work by a major American author. Significant enough for inclusion? 74.90.100.243 (talk) 17:26, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Representation in Other Media: William S Burroughs “Cities of The Red Knight”