The Unicorn (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Iris Murdoch
- First Published: 1963
- Type of Work: Gothic romance
- Time of Work: c. 1963
- Setting: A remote region in West Ireland
- Principal Characters: Marian Taylor, Hannah Crean-Smith, Gerald Scottow, Jamesie Evercreech, Violet Evercreech, Denis Nolan, Philip “Pip” Lejour, Alice Lejour, Max Lejour, Effingham Cooper
- Genres: Long fiction, Gothic fiction
- Subjects: Values, 1960’s, Suffering, Philosophy or philosophers, Prisoners, Homosexuality or homosexuals, Love or romance, Sex or sexuality, Murder or homicide, Violence, Death or dying, Mysteries, Ireland or Irish people, Tutors or tutoring
- Locales: Ireland
The Novel
In her seventh novel, Iris Murdoch borrows from the gothic tradition in literature to create a world of mystery and enchantment, and her plot relies heavily on surprise, suspense, and fragmented revelations of past actions and their present consequences. Revealed in bits, the antecedent action of the novel is essential to its plot.
Nine years before the novel’s opening, Hannah Crean-Smith, mistress of Gaze Castle and wife of her first cousin Peter, began an affair with her neighbor, Philip “Pip” Lejour. Two years later, they were discovered by Peter, and...
[The entire page is 1649 words long]
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