From the patriarchal laments of a bygone epoch in the tales of King Arthur to the powerful protest songs of the 1960s and 1970s songwriters, the concerns of each culture echoes in the art it produces. Differences between the dominant themes of writings from different cultures exist because each society has its own pressing issues and principal ideas. Just as there are substantial differences in the plights of desperately poor and ridiculously rich, there will be differences in the ideas encompassed in the literature they produce. As The Collector was written in the rapidly changing world of the sixties, its themes of gender, class and other issues change as the novel progresses. Miranda's altering psyche is of particular interest, as her development causes a shifting bias on ideas about gender, class and existential thought. This is juxtaposed with the stagnation of the character of Clegg, who represents many of the dominant ideologies of the pre-1960's era. It is through the association of characters with various ideas, their progress and conflicts that serve to develop the various themes and issues raised in John Fowles' stirring first novel, The Collector.
             Clegg's almost absolute isolation from society opens the discussion on the existential lifestyle. Existentialism, which was increasing in popularity in the 1960's, rejects all forms of classification, instead focusing on the individual. It was prominent in Europe at the time and exponents such as the French author, Jean Paul Sartre, were highly influential in philosophical circles. The central set of beliefs associated with existentialism has strong connections with the women's movement, which was also gathering momentum at the time, as it tried to abolish gender preconceptions i.e. classification of an individual through their gender. Some of those who practise existential thought choose to live apart from society at one stage or another, in orde...