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The Development of Ideas in the Novels of Iris Murdoch Thesis

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The Development of Ideas in the Novels of Iris Murdoch Thesis Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Playful Platonist : The development of ideas in the novels of Iris Murdoch Thesis How to cite: Edwards, S. L. (1984). Playful Platonist : The development of ideas in the novels of Iris Murdoch. PhD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c [not recorded] https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.0000de3e Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk i U is 154,6 (Z ý', 1)P, S-f P. ýC- -1 LO PLAYFUL PLATONIST: TFIE DEVELOPISNT OF =Eý 221 TFIE NOVELS OF IRTI; MURDOCH by Stephen Laurence Edwards A thesis submitted for the degree of Ph. D. at The Open University, January 1984. rio u0 I- Playful tlatonist: the Development of Ideas in the Novels of Iris Mirdoch I am willing that this thesis may be made available to readers and may be photcopied subject to the discretion of the Librarian. L S. L. Edwards 20th June 1984. Th, opiýn t-lrivp-rsifm col, 22 ... ..... ...... ii SUýRARY Tnis thesis examines Iris Murdoch's novels in the light of her philosophical thinking. 1t places her ethical thinking in the context of twentieth century moral philosophy and shows that her approach to the problems of the subject is out of key with the general run of cont(-, r,..pora-ry philosophical th-inking. 1t traces her debt to G. E. Moore, and the modification which she offers of the Intuitionist view of Ethics, as she develops the sianificancelfor her7of learning to see the appropriateness of concepts to the facts of the case, and of the value of 'attention' in the development of moral behaviour. The thesis Outlines the way in which Iris Murdoch's early interest in the existentialist philosophy of Sartre becomes a firm point of philosophical objection. She finds that Sart-re's disgust with the contingency of the world is based on a defensive solipsism, and argues that the world beyond the self should be a matter for delight and instruction in the insignificance of the individual. It further shows how her fundamiental philosophical beliefs are indebted to Plato, in that she follows him in attributing to beauty a significance as a guide to the good, and also in equating love with knowledge of the external world. It points out that Iris Murdoch's comments on the novel have often been used to attack her own fictional practice, and suggests that this practice is mistaken. It points out the significance of the essay 'Existentialists and 1-1ystics', which has been neglected by critics, both in terms of illuminating her interests and purposes and also in providing appropriate terminology with which to discuss her novels. The thesis then examines the individual novels and traces the evolution of Iris Murdoch's ideas in them from an interest in, but philosophical hostility to, existentialism, towards the 'mystical' novel which celebrates reality beyond the self, and sees freedom as obedience to that external reality. 1t suggests that Iris Ybirdoch consistently attempts to develop secular concepts which will take the place of the religious concepts which she feels are no longer appropriate. iii CONTENTS introduction p I British Ethics from Moore to Hampshire p 6 The Early Struggle with Existentialism p '10 A' Movement of Return' p '13 From 'Against Dryness to 'Existentialists 26 and Mlysticss: Considerations of the*. Novel p Matonism Value for Art p 33 .. and a Fhe Seriousness of 'Play' P 36 The Scope of the Thesis p 39 Chapter One: Under the Net p 47 Chapter Two: The Flight From the Enchanter p 57 Chapter Threeffhe Sandcastle p 65 Chapter Four: The Bell p 73 Chapter Five: A Severed Head p 82 Chapter Six: An Unofficial Rose p 90 Chapter Seven: The Unicorn p 100 Chapter Eight: The Italian Girl p '112 Chapter Nineffhe Red and the Green p 1,19 Chapter Ten: The Time pf the Angels P '127 Chapter Eleven: The Nice and the Good' P S36 Chapter Týielve: Brunols Dream pý 'ý46 Chapter Thirteen: A Feirly Honourable Defeat p 155 Chapter Fourteen: An Accidental Man p 167 Chapter Fifteen: The Black Prince P 175 Chapter Sixteen: The Sacred and Profane Love Machine p '184 Chpater Seventeen: A Word Child p 193 Chapter Eighteen: Henry and Cato P 20*1 Chapter Nineteen: The Sea, The Sea P 209 Chapter Twenty: Nuns and Soldiers p 218 Chapter Twenty-Oneffhe Philosopher's Pupil P 227 Conclusion P 239 Bibliography p 251 iv DECLARATION I declare that this Thesis is my own unaided work, and that none of it has appeared previously in any other form. 1. INTIPRODUCTION it-is Murdoch's literary career has b7ýýen prolific: twenty-one novels, four plays and a collection of poetry in addition to a wide range of essays to imagination and two books of ethics attest an of considerable fertility. Whether this production is the work of a serious literary artist, and if it is, what kind of artist she might be, are matters of greater debate. There have been those who have doubted whether someone i-ino writes so much can write *1 well enough to justify claims to high status =d there are others who see her 2. work as significantly developing the traditions of the English novel Ihe most recent study of her work claims that there is a 'cur rent tendency to 3 under-read and underestimate Murdoch's work' but makes the final claim that Her ambitions in relation to the traditional novel and in the moral aggrandizement of that form are extensive and unique in the late twentieth century, and her equipment for achieving and illustrating 4 a very great deal has, in twenty novels, displayed itself compellingly. However, before the appearance of the two most recent studies of her 5 work the attention of critics had been directed mainly at her earlier work, and had tended also to use her earlier statememts abc; ut the state of The the novel as a standard to criticize Iris Murdoch's own production4 7 much noted distinction, made inAgainst Dryness between the 'journalistic' descendant of the nineteenth century novel and the 'crystalline' novel of the twentieth century has been used to attack its author by comparing her achievement with what was thought to be her wish to produce novels of a nineteenth century character, thus suggesting that she failed to achieve that density and opacity of character which she has said she is so attracted to. But that'Against Dryness, which was written almost a quarter of a century ago, should represent her final thought on the novel seezlis as unlikely as that A Severed Head, also written in 1961, should represent her final achievement. From one who is so clearly thoughtful about the contemporary picture of 2 the differences that man and the world, and so aware of between world and the more stable world of the nineteenth century, we are right to expect ideas a continuing development of and a consequent'development of novelistic style. Although the early novels share some features with the later ones, as the early essays share some with the more recent, there has been a gradual change in the orientation of Iris IDirdoch's thought which is reflected in her novels. The poles of this drift are rarked by her first and her most recent book-length studies. In '1953 she published Sartre: Romantic Rationalist 9 and in 1977 The Fire and the Sun: Why Plato Banished the Artists . This movement, from existentialism to platonism, is reflected in the novels and is the reason why essays that have appeared during her career cannot be accepted as necessarily definitive statements of her views. They provide pointers to the way in which her ideas have developed and to the way in which she has modified some of her existing concepts as well as introducing new ones. Iris Murdoch has been the always a strong cri-, -ic of contemporary novel. She is fond of pointing out that it is not as good as the nineteenth century 10 novel ; and argues that this is primarily related to an inadequate theory of the liberal personality. What is interesting about theze pronouncements is that they are not really literary criticism at all, but are indicative of *1*1 a broadly based philosqphical attitude or sense of value. She objects to the manner and the style of contemporary novels not because they are badly written but because they reflect ideas about the human personality which she does not think are true. (This is a far more important claim than that she does not like themor does not believe in them. )For her, the novel is an art of image, but it is what those images represent that is of greater concern to her than the images themselves. So, in the final analysis, her 12 cominient on Sartre's impatience with It-he stuff of human life, is an objection to his ethical views rather than a criticism of his literarY technique. Knd yet she has said that philosophy I had better be kept out' of 3 '13 2.iterature and that she only includes it because she happens to know about it and would rather prefer to knoll about sailing ships.
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