Iris Murdoch and Morality

This Volume, Featuring Contributions From A Number Of Leading Scholars, Explores The Ways In Which The Moral Positions Iris Murdoch Adopts In Her Philosophy And Theology Can Be Aligned With Her Fiction, Demonstrating How Murdoch's Work Can Contribute Significantly To Discussions About The Relationship Between Literature And Morality--provided By Publisher. Introduction : Art, Morals And The Discovery Of Reality / Anne Rowe And Avril Horner -- Part I : Morality And The Novel -- Murdoch's Mannered Realism : Metafiction, Morality And The Post-war Novel / Bran Nicol -- The Preachers Tone : Murdoch's Mentors And Moralists / Priscilla Martin -- Stories, Rituals And Healers In Iris Murdoch's Fiction / Rob Hardy -- Laughing At Something Tragic : Murdoch As Anti-moralist / Peter J.conradi -- 'refinements Of Evil' : Iris Murdoch And The Gothic / Avril Horner -- Part Ii : A Moral Union : Philosophy And Literature -- Iris Murdoch, The Ethical Turn And Literary Value / Simon Haines -- Murdoch's Fictional Philosophers : What They Say And What They Show / Scott H. Moore -- Death And Goodness : Bruno's Dream And The Sovereignty Of Good Over Other Concepts / Mark Luprecht -- Jacksons Dilemma And 'the Responsible Life Of The Imagination' / Frances White -- Part Iii : Morality Without God : Iris Murdoch's Secular Theology -- 'the Dream That Does Not Cease To Haunt Us' : Iris Murdoch's Holiness / Anne Rowe --'a Story About A Man' : The Demythologised Christ In The Novels Of Iris Murdoch And Patrick White / Pamela Osborn -- Do Not Seek God Outside Your Own Soul : Buddhism In The Green Knight / Tammy Grimshaw -- The Moral Fate Of Fictive Persons : On Iris Murdoch's Humanism / William Schweiker. Edited By Anne Rowe And Avril Horner. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Notes on Contributors 11 Notes on References and Abbreviations 14 Introduction: Art, Morals and ‘The Discovery of Reality’ 16 Part I: Morality and the Novel 30 1 Murdoch’s Mannered Realism: Metafiction, Morality and the Post-War Novel 31 2 The Preacher’s Tone: Murdoch’s Mentors and Moralists 45 3 Stories, Rituals and Healers in Iris Murdoch’s Fiction 57 4 Laughing at Something Tragic: Murdoch as Anti-Moralist 70 5 ‘Refinements of Evil’: Iris Murdoch and the Gothic 84 Part II: A Moral Union: Philosophy and Literature 99 6 Iris Murdoch, the Ethical Turn and Literary Value 100 7 Murdoch’s Fictional Philosophers: What They Say and What They Show 114 8 Death and Goodness: Bruno’s Dream and ‘The Sovereignty of Good over Other Concepts’ 126 9 Jackson’s Dilemma and ‘The Responsible Life of the Imagination’ 139 Part III: Morality without God: Iris Murdoch’s Secular Theology 152 10 ‘The Dream that does not Cease to Haunt us’: Iris Murdoch’s Holiness 153 11 ‘A Story about a Man’: The Demythologized Christ in the Novels of Iris Murdoch and Patrick White 168 12 Do not Seek God outside your own Soul: Buddhism in The Green Knight 180 13 The Moral Fate of Fictive Persons: On Iris Murdoch’s Humanism 192 Index 206 A 206 B 206 C 206 D 206 E 207 F 207 G 207 H 207 I 207 J 207 K 207 L 208 M 208 N 209 O 209 P 209 Q 209 R 209 S 209 T 210 U 210 V 210 W 210 Y 210 Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction: Art, Morals and ‘The Discovery of Reality’....Pages 1-14 Front Matter....Pages 15-15 Murdoch’s Mannered Realism: Metafiction, Morality and the Post-War Novel....Pages 17-30 The Preacher’s Tone: Murdoch’s Mentors and Moralists....Pages 31-42 Stories, Rituals and Healers in Iris Murdoch’s Fiction....Pages 43-55 Laughing at Something Tragic: Murdoch as Anti-Moralist....Pages 56-69 ‘Refinements of Evil’: Iris Murdoch and the Gothic....Pages 70-84 Front Matter....Pages 85-85 Iris Murdoch, the Ethical Turn and Literary Value....Pages 87-100 Murdoch’s Fictional Philosophers: What They Say and What They Show ....Pages 101-112 Death and Goodness: Bruno’s Dream and ‘The Sovereignty of Good over Other Concepts’....Pages 113-125 Jackson’s Dilemma and ‘The Responsible Life of the Imagination’....Pages 126-138 Front Matter....Pages 139-139 ‘The Dream that does not Cease to Haunt us’: Iris Murdoch’s Holiness....Pages 141-155 ‘A Story about a Man’: The Demythologized Christ in the Novels of Iris Murdoch and Patrick White....Pages 156-167 Do not Seek God outside your own Soul: Buddhism in The Green Knight ....Pages 168-179 The Moral Fate of Fictive Persons: On Iris Murdoch’s Humanism....Pages 180-193 Back Matter....Pages 194-198 Machine generated contents note: AcknowledgementsNotes on ContributorsNotes on References and AbbreviationsIntroduction: Art, Morals and The Discovery of Reality A.Rowe & A.HornerPART I: MORALITY AND THE NOVEL Murdochs Mannered realism: Metafiction, Morality and the Post-War Novel B.NicolThe Preachers Tone: Murdochs Mentors and Moralists P.MartinStories, Rituals and Healers in Iris Murdochs Novels R.HardyLaughing at Something Tragic: Murdoch as Anti-Moralist P.ConradiRefinements of Evil: Iris Murdoch and the Gothic A.HornerPART II: A MORAL UNION: PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATURE Iris Murdoch: the Ethical Turn and Literary Value S.HainesMurdochs Fictional Philosophers: What They Say and What They Show S.MooreDeath and Goodness: Brunos Dream and The Sovereignty of Good Over Other Concepts M.LuprechtJacksons Dilemma and The Responsible Life of the Imagination F.WhitePART III: MORALITY WITHOUT GOD: IRIS MURDOCHS SECULAR THEOLOGY The dream that Does Not cease to haunt Us: Iris Murdochs Holiness A.RoweA Story About a Man: The Demythologised Christ in the Work of Iris Murdoch and Patrick White P.OsbornDo Not Seek God Outside Your Own Soul: Buddhism in The Green Knight T.GrimshawThe Moral Fate of Fictive Persons: On Iris Murdochs Humanism W.SchweikerIndex. Iris Murdoch and Morality provides innovate readings of Murdoch's novels, philosophy and theology. It situates her work within current theoretical and philosophical debates and suggests it is a crucial link between twentieth and twenty-first century writing and theory. Discussions of her fiction focus on her 'mannered realism', her idiosyncratic use of the Gothic, her anti-moralistic humour and the roles of some subversively constructed 'preachers'. Explorations of the complex moral philosophy within her novels reveal how it is both tested and contested there, for example by her use of fictional philosophers. Her more focused meditations on virtue and evil are investigated through attention to one of her fictional mystics and to the greatest moral catastrophe of the twentieth century - the Holocaust. Insights into Murdoch's 'neo-theology' are offered alongside her demythologizing of Christ and her engagement with Buddhism and Humanism, each offering new ways of thinking about her relationship to God and the Good. The nature of goodness and evil is as much the subject of this volume as Iris Murdoch herself Iris Murdoch and Morality provides a close focus on moral issues in Murdoch's novels, philosophy and theology. It situates Murdoch within current theoretical debates and develops an understanding of her work as a crucial link between twentieth and twenty-first century writing and theory.