One of the unique features of Lyme is the Cobb-- a stone wall from the 13th century that was designed to protect the harbor from rough waters. This unique piece of architecture is an important setting in both "The French Lieutenant's Woman" and "Persuasion".
The first scene of "The French Lieutenant's Woman" takes place on the Cobb. Fowles' description of the "somber, curving mole" and the figure that "stood motionless, staring, staring out to sea, more a living memorial to the drowned" (Chapter 1), sets the somber and mysterious tone of the novel.
The film adaptation of "The French Lieutenant's Woman" begins with a similar scene. Watch the first 1:30 of the following clip of the 1981 film.
How does the film scene compare to Fowles' description in chapters 1 and 2 of the novel? Which scene, in your opinion, is more effective?
The Cobb is the location of Louisa Musgrove's accident in "Persuasion". Austen's simple phrasing leaves much of the drama of the scene to be imagined: "She fell on the pavement on the Lower Cobb, and was taken up lifeless! There was no wound, no blood, no visible bruise; but her eyes were closed, she breathed not, her face was like death. The horror of the moment to all who stood around!" (Chapter 12).
The film adaptation of "Persuasion" dramatizes Louisa's fall, and features other scenes on the Cobb. Watch this clip of the film, from 0:22-2:48 as well as 4:45-5:35. Here is another scene the filmmakers chose to set on the Cobb (from 4:36-6:20). How does the dramatic setting of the Cobb the last clip contribute to what is being discussed?
Does the Cobb have a symbolic meaning in either or both of the texts? Would you consider it a romantic location?