A Word Child (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Iris Murdoch
- First Published: 1975
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The early 1970’s
- Setting: London, England
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: 1970’s, Self-discovery, Love or romance, Religion, Guilt, God, Death or dying, London, Office employees
- Locales: London, England
Characters Discussed
Hilary Burde, a linguist, former don, and minor bureaucrat, the brother of Crystal and lover of Thomasina. A big, hairy, dark man, Hilary, now guarded and remorseful, irresistibly attracts the three women on whom the plot turns. He is an angry, unloved orphan who was separated from his younger sister, Crystal, who represents goodness to him. Hilary escapes delinquency and despair only because of his talent for languages: He is a “word child,” created by language, not love. Uninterested in what words mean, he seeks to learn the rules of grammar, which...
[The entire page is 665 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
