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MANTISSA is a novel by John Fowles published in 1982. It consists entirely of a presumably imaginary dialogue in a writer's head, between himself and an embodiment of the Muse Erato, after he wakes amnesiac in a hospital bed. It was one of Fowles’ least known works and one that garnered a lot of negative criticism which would have suited Fowles since it is also one of his most imaginative works. As homage to that novel, the literary journal Mantissa was created and connected with the John Fowles Center for Creative Writing which has been an integral part of Chapman University, Wilkinson College, the Department of English and the Southern California community since 1997. Given the long-standing inter/national reputation of the Fowles Center, it is only natural that a literary journal would come out of such a series. The mission statement of the journal is simply to encourage submissions of a creative and theoretical variety that may be associated with the work of Fowles himself, but may also be associated with the type of prose for which Fowles was noted. Ideally, the journal is meant to reach a broad spectrum of individuals who are not only interested in the work of Fowles, but who are also interested in creative writing, the theory and practice of creative writing and translation all of which Fowles was prolific at doing.

» Mantissa

Mantissa: The Journal of JFC

Mark Axelrod Editor-in-Chief, Mantissa Director, John Fowles Center for Creative Writing