John Fowles introduces the novel by giving an detailed description of the 'Cobb' in Lyme Regis. He introduces Sarah at this point, describing her as 'a living memorial to the drowned' 'a figure from myth'. In this setting, we begin to form our own opinion of her character; solitary by choice and independent yet melancholy at the same time. We begin to associate Sarah with places of the outdoors, for instance, on 'Ware Common' which …showed first 75 words of 2033 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2033 total…as she has found a place where there is no fear of rejection in society. This all shows that the use of landscapes and places in 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' is very helpful in creating and identifying character. Sarah is a wild character, and this wildness is shown through the places in which she chooses to haunt. Charles is a similar, but more sutble character, we identify him with situations and settings, rather than landscapes.