John Fowles

You have relationships with people that are voluntary.

So if we say, well, geez, non-coercive relationships can't work or society needs coercion to maintain relationships at a political level, well, that which works locally is at least capable of working globally, right? So if you just look around and you say, "Okay, how many people are in my life through straight up direct coercion?" And again, assuming you don't have some John Fowles Collector style lady locked in your basement, please release her if you do, then your relationships are voluntary.

And if your relationships are voluntary, why can't voluntarism work? I mean, it works in your life, right? All right.

Uh, when someone says it is the end of your bloodline, I ask, do you have any siblings, cousins, or extended family? I.e., bloodlines are trees, not, uh, chains.

But The Collector comes up repeatedly.

The author is John Fowles.

He publishes the novel in 1963.

An Oscar-nominated film adaptation follows in 1965, starring Terrence Stamp.

So let's talk about some other places we see in some things that people have done it.

Now, Aaron, in an earlier episode, I discussed The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles.

And The French Lieutenant's Woman has three endings.

And so there's an ending where they get together and live happily ever after.

Once Berdella's case became public knowledge, popular rumor would have it that he cooked and served some of his victims as food at his shop, though there is no actual evidence to suggest that was the case.

After his arrest, Berdella cited the 1965 film adaptation of John Fowles' novel, The Collector, in which a man kidnaps a young woman and holds her captive in his basement, as an inspiration for his murders.

Berdella described his crimes as, "My darkest fantasies becoming my reality." Berdella's own crimes inspired their share of movies, books, and even songs.

A local radio personality wrote a parody song called They Call Me Bob Berdella to the tune of Donovan's 1966 hit, Mellow Yellow.

You know, it's...

What do I say to that quote from John Fowles? Nothing lasts like the unsolved.

It is like Lord Lucan in that respect.

These stories will never die.

That was the...

Since I knew you had not read this book, uh, that was the one clue I thought, okay, uh, it's a John Fowles book, but it's not The French Lieutenant's Woman, is basically what I'm saying.

Oh.

It is The Magus.

... as a teen.

Okay, so who else likes this book? Like, what are its bona fides?

Well, let me, let me first just say a little about John Fowles.

He's, uh, he was an acclaimed author whose first three novels in particular, uh, were widely admired international bestsellers.