Investigate the treatment of women in England during the 1860s. How do Fowles' portrayals of Ernestina and Sarah both reflect and challenge Victorian expectations of women's behavior?

Read Fowles' The Collector (1963) and compare its exploration of male/female relationships to those in The French Lieutenant’s Woman.

Watch the film adaptation of the novel and analyze the differences in Pinter’s screenplay compared to the book. Discuss whether you believe the film remains faithful to the novel's thematic essence.

Examine the British class structure of the era in which the novel is set. What transformations were occurring? What traditions persisted? How are these changes and traditions depicted in the novel?