Several times, Donaldson has said that Foul chose Covenant.
And we also have the Creator admitting that he chose Covenant. "I elected you for the Land but did not compel you to serve my purpose in the Land."In the Gradual Interview, Stephen R Donaldson wrote:Of course, Lord Foul does what he can to manipulate events. [...] He chose Covenant because he believes that Covenant--by his very nature--will become a Despiser himself.
(05/23/2005)
But he also somewhat ambiguously says, "Blame belongs to the chooser, and this choice was made by one who elected you without your knowledge or consent."
And Donaldson himself also says,
Finally, we have to consider, to the extent that the Land is a dream, or the externalization of things within Covenant, that no one "chose" him, except perhaps himself.In the Gradual Interview, Stephen R Donaldson wrote:I grant that using words like "choose" and "chose" to describe the actions of both the Creator and the Despiser encourages--or at least permits--confusion.
(12/19/2007)
It's all very complex and confusing, if you ask me.