Iris Murdoch Criticism
Iris Murdoch stands out in English literature for her ability to weave intricate narratives that are rich in philosophical inquiry. Her novels often delve into ethics and moral dilemmas, particularly within the context of the English middle class, a setting that allows her to explore profound questions about love, identity, and existence. Murdoch's philosophical training heavily influences her work, with themes such as the rarity of genuine love, achieved only through recognizing others' existence, as highlighted by Lorna Sage.
Her novels are frequently noted for their complex plotting and sometimes melodramatic portrayals of fantastical situations. Critics like Joyce Carol Oates contend that Murdoch prioritizes philosophical exploration over character development, presenting a worldview that challenges romantic notions of love and free will. This tension between philosophical depth and narrative structure is a recurring point of contention among critics.
Her works, such as The Sea, The Sea, have been thoroughly analyzed by critics like Gabriele Annan, Malcolm Bradbury, and Francis King. These analyses often focus on her ability to merge the factual with the philosophical in a narrative that meditates on both cosmic themes and personal relationships. This dual approach has polarized opinions, yet it underscores Murdoch's significance as a literary figure.
Murdoch's narrative style, characterized by its complexity and the use of literary allusions, is further exemplified in works like Under the Net and A Severed Head. As Howard German and Steven G. Kellman have noted, these novels illustrate her engagement with literary traditions and symbolic storytelling, challenging conventions of realism.
Despite critiques of her use of theatrical conventions and character symbolism, as mentioned by Robert Taubman and Linda Kuehl, Murdoch's works are also commended for their philosophical depth and narrative style by critics such as Robertson Davies and Robert Scholes. This division in critical reception highlights the ongoing debate regarding her place in contemporary literature.
The diversity of opinions on Murdoch's work is further illustrated by analyses like those of Peter Kemp and Reid Beddow, who explore the tension between fantasy and reality in her narratives, such as The Red and the Green and Nuns and Soldiers. Despite criticisms from figures like John Updike about her narrative detail, Murdoch remains a catalyst for thought and debate in literary circles.
Contents
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Murdoch, (Jean) Iris (Vol. 22)
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Fabulation and Allegory
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In the following essay, Robert Scholes examines Iris Murdoch's novel The Unicorn as a modern allegory, analyzing its complex interplay of character, ideology, and allegorical elements, while discussing the narrative's capacity to engage readers both intellectually and emotionally and to challenge conventional interpretations of truth and meaning.
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The Fight against Fantasy: Iris Murdoch's 'The Red and the Green'
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In the following essay, Peter Kemp examines Iris Murdoch's novel The Red and the Green, arguing that while Murdoch's work explores the theme of fantasy versus reality, she often succumbs to creating structured, symbolic narratives that contradict her philosophical emphasis on recognizing the messy, contingent nature of reality.
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Inside, Outside
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In the following essay, Rosemary Dinnage critiques Iris Murdoch's novel Nuns and Soldiers for its reliance on repetitive mechanisms and the fragile balance between its narrative and philosophical elements, noting that while the novel contains familiar Murdochian features, these elements are not always seamlessly integrated.
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The Cloister and the Heart
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In the following essay, Reid Beddow explores Iris Murdoch's dual role as a philosopher and novelist, highlighting her novel Nuns and Soldiers as a reflection of her themes of love, religion, and the moral complexities within human relationships, while emphasizing her technical mastery and mature style.
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A Romance for Highbrows
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In the following essay, George Stade critiques Iris Murdoch's novel "Nuns and Soldiers" as a complex blend of romance and disguised Christian apologetics, marked by symbolic narrative and a unique prose style that reflects her distinctive approach to intertwining secular and religious themes.
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Nuns and Soldiers
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In the following essay, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt examines Iris Murdoch's "Nuns and Soldiers," highlighting its dual nature as both a compelling love story and a complex, symbol-laden narrative potentially serving as a Christian allegory, while expressing a preference for the straightforward romantic elements over the intricate religious symbolism.
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Life & Letters: 'Nuns and Soldiers'
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In the following essay, the critic explores how Iris Murdoch's Nuns and Soldiers masterfully intertwines complex plots and symbolic elements to address profound questions about human behavior, morality, and the significance of religion, presenting a novel rich in ideas and deeply rooted in the real fabric of life.
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Worlds and Worlds
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In the following essay, John Updike critiques Iris Murdoch's novel "Nuns and Soldiers," arguing that while it illustrates her philosophical themes of love and helplessness, it suffers from excessive descriptive detail and a lack of dramatic action, ultimately failing to fulfill its initial narrative promises.
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English: 'Nuns and Soldiers'
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In the following essay, Bernard F. Dick critiques Iris Murdoch's Nuns and Soldiers for its overextended narrative and heavy reliance on artistic and literary allusions, arguing that while the novel attempts to explore themes of redemption and existentialism, it ultimately struggles to balance its appeal between academic and general audiences.
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Fabulation and Allegory
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- Murdoch, (Jean) Iris (Vol. 6)
- Murdoch, Iris (Vol. 2)
- Murdoch, Iris (Vol. 1)
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Murdoch, (Jean) Iris (Vol. 15)
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Iris Murdoch: The Novelist as Magician/The Magician as Artist
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In the following essay, Linda Kuehl argues that Iris Murdoch's novels, such as "The Flight from the Enchanter," "A Severed Head," and "The Unicorn," suffer from an overemphasis on form and philosophical concepts that limits character development, resulting in predictable roles and undermining her attempts to capture the complexity of the human experience.
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Allusions in the Early Novels of Iris Murdoch
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In the following essay, Howard German explores the use of literary allusions in Iris Murdoch's early novels, arguing that Murdoch's integration of classical, mythological, and literary references enriches her thematic exploration of reality, illusion, and the complexity of human experience, while sometimes challenging the conventions of realistic characterization.
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Raising the Net: Iris Murdoch and the Tradition of the Self-Begetting Novel
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In the following essay, Steven G. Kellman examines Iris Murdoch's novel Under the Net as a quintessential example of the self-begetting novel, arguing that it reflects Murdoch’s engagement with French literary traditions while asserting a British narrative voice concerned with the complexities of reality and selfhood.
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Icons and Idols in Murdoch's 'A Severed Head'
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In the following essay, Ann Gossman explores the themes and symbols in Iris Murdoch's novel A Severed Head, analyzing its intricate use of mythological and Freudian symbolism, religious art imagery, and philosophical allegories to question the nature of identity and morality.
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The Machinery of Pain: Romantic Suffering in Three Works of Iris Murdoch
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In the following essay, Margaret Scanlan examines Iris Murdoch's critique of romantic suffering and moral behavior in her novels, emphasizing Murdoch's preference for depicting ideas through complex narratives rather than philosophical discourse, and analyzing how Murdoch's novels navigate the interplay between suffering, love, and moral choice, ultimately critiquing romanticism's impact on human behavior.
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Iris Murdoch: The Novelist as Magician/The Magician as Artist
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- Murdoch, (Jean) Iris (Vol. 3)
- Murdoch, (Jean) Iris (Vol. 8)
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Murdoch, (Jean) Iris (Vol. 11)
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The Pursuit of Imperfection
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In the following essay, Lorna Sage argues that Iris Murdoch's novels, particularly Henry and Cato, demonstrate a unique blend of rich visual detail and moral allegory, which engage with themes of cultural and moral curiosity, stressing the importance of picturing diverse human experiences while recognizing the limitations and illusions inherent in such portrayals.
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The Contracting Universe of Iris Murdoch's Gothic Novels
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In the following essay, Zohreh T. Sullivan explores Iris Murdoch's Gothic novels, arguing that they illustrate the dangers of existentialist solipsism and the importance of community, morality, and imagination, as her characters often become trapped in isolating fantasies that reflect the failures of modern ethical and intellectual traditions.
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Murdoch Magic
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In the following essay, Annan argues that Iris Murdoch's novel The Sea, The Sea is masterfully crafted as both a factual and philosophical thriller, featuring evocative descriptions and complex characters, ultimately presenting a comedy with cosmic reflections.
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The Semi-Isle
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In the following essay, Malcolm Bradbury examines Iris Murdoch's novel The Sea, The Sea, highlighting its exploration of love, egoism, and sacrifice within a magical and mysterious narrative, and argues that the novel's careful pacing and structure reveal profound truths about life's meaning and the art of fiction.
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Love's Spell and Black Magic
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In the following essay, Francis King critiques Iris Murdoch's novel The Sea, The Sea, highlighting its themes of love as a magical force and guilt, while noting the novel's meandering structure and Murdoch's ability to produce breathtaking prose despite its melodramatic dialogue and clumsy plotting.
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Joyce Carol Oates
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In the following essay, the critic analyzes Iris Murdoch's fiction as philosophical explorations where ideas prevail over characters and narrative, depicting a pessimistic worldview that challenges romantic notions of love and free will, while suggesting her novels as commentaries on Plato's allegory of the cave.
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The Pursuit of Imperfection
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Murdoch, (Jean) Iris (Vol. 31)
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From Subtext to Dream Text: The Brutal Egoism of Iris Murdoch's Male Narrators
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In the following essay, Steven Cohan analyzes Iris Murdoch's use of male narrators in her first-person novels, arguing that this narrative choice serves as a vehicle for satire on male egoism and the fantasy of romantic love, while also highlighting the complexities and ironies of imposing narrative form onto lived experiences.
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Elizabeth Dipple
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In the following essay, Elizabeth Dipple explores Iris Murdoch's unique blend of realism and irony in her novels, illustrating how Murdoch employs detailed character studies and allusions to tackle profound philosophical themes without succumbing to conventional narrative comforts, thus distinguishing her work from contemporary experimentalism and aligning it with moral truth-telling.
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The Philosopher Fails—The Artist Succeeds
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In the following essay, Nicholas Mosley explores the complex relationship between philosophy and art in Iris Murdoch's novel "The Philosopher's Pupil," contrasting the failure of the philosopher Rozanov to reconcile contradictions with the success of the artist in creating meaning from human disorder.
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Double Life
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In the following essay, Robert Taubman critiques Iris Murdoch's novel The Philosopher's Pupil, arguing that while the novel ambitiously navigates themes of evil, innocence, and salvation through complex characters and literary allusions, its reliance on theatrical conventions and polarized opposites ultimately undermines the depth and realism of human experience.
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Iris Murdoch's Crowded Canvas
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In the following essay, Robertson Davies examines Iris Murdoch's novel, "The Philosopher's Pupil," highlighting its complex narrative style, intricate character dynamics, philosophical undertones, and the novel's ability to engage readers as omniscient observers, ultimately recognizing Murdoch's traditional storytelling prowess and the challenging yet rewarding nature of her prose.
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The Conjuring Magic of Murdoch
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In the following essay, Richard Eder examines Iris Murdoch's unique blend of realistic and magical elements in her novels, particularly "The Philosopher's Pupil," highlighting her engagement with themes of passion, supernatural forces, and human pain, despite criticisms of complexity and verbosity.
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Love and Other Illusions
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In the following essay, Joyce Carol Oates critiques Iris Murdoch's novel "The Philosopher's Pupil" for its densely populated narrative and whimsical structure, arguing that Murdoch's exploration of romantic illusions and philosophical ideas, while intriguing, often results in characters who are thinly developed compared to Dostoyevsky's more fully realized figures.
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Baggy Monsters
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In the following essay, John Updike argues that Iris Murdoch's novel "The Philosopher's Pupil" displays her mastery of vivid, symbol-laden storytelling, drawing comparisons to Dostoyevski while exploring themes of human destructiveness and spiritual drama within a meticulously crafted setting, despite some character development shortcomings.
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William H. Pritchard
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In the following essay, William H. Pritchard critiques Iris Murdoch's novel "The Philosopher's Pupil" for its lack of depth and human connection, arguing that despite Murdoch's skill in vivid descriptions, her narrative becomes overwhelmed by detail, leading to a disengaged and automatic storytelling style.
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From Subtext to Dream Text: The Brutal Egoism of Iris Murdoch's Male Narrators
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