University of Virginia Library

Monagasque World

In tarot fortune telling (an
ancient method which uses a special
deck of cards) the magus, or magician,
is "the caster of the dice and
mountebank in the world of vulgar
trickery." Urfe unsuspectingly finds
himself in such a world on Phraxos.
He hears of Maurice Conchis, a
wealthy, somewhat eccentric resident
of the island. No one in the
village knows him, but there are
several uncomplimentary rumors,
particularly about his wartime activities,
that everyone seems to
know. One weekend, Urfe, who has
become bored by the isolated, sexless
life on the island, explores the
isolated end of the island where
Conchis lives. He is discovered and,
curiously, finds that he has been
expected. Conchis, who apparently
lives along in an immaculate mansion,
is anxious for someone to talk
to. Urfe and he spend the afternoon
together during which Conchis describes
some of his earlier life.
Following this, a series of bizarre
events occur which destroy reality,
leaving the reader to recreate it as
best he can, always wondering what
will happen next.

Yet the Magus is far more than a
superb mystery with lots of sex.
The brilliance of the book is in part
due to its ability to work on many
different levels simultaneously.
Fowles presents life as a god game, a
totally plausible plot where one
person can manipulate anything,
and make nearly anything happen.
If one already paranoid from the
famous Charlottesville narcs, The
Magus could be somewhat terrorizing.
It is also a fascinating
psychological study of Nicholas
Urfe, a sometimes strangely cruel
pathetic semi-intellectual with
whom many students can identify.
It is also an interesting study of
group role behavior, and of the
individual when confronted with a
totally illogical, incomprehensive
situation. There is also an unusual
and somewhat compelling love
story. And above all is the increasingly
complex question of
what is reality.