The book sold well and won an enthusiastic reception from critics. She drew on many literary and philosophical influences, including Existentialism and Platonic thought. Miles' lecture focused on Murdoch's fourth published novel, The Bell (1958), part of a sequence of early works in which she experimented with different styles before settling down to her mature writing form. Iris Murdoch, a mid-twentieth century author working in the realist mode of Dickens, an exponent of the Gothic who hoped to be seen as an heir to Henry James, and whose work is loaded with references to philosophy and religion, was the subject of the Literature Cambridge online study session on 26 September.ĭr Miles Leeson, Director of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre at the University of Chichester, showed us how an author with a reputation for difficulty, thanks to the philosophical ideas underpinning her work, can be perfectly accessible to general readers – although the underlying philosophy is a rewarding study for those who wish to engage with it. The Bell by Iris Murdoch (1958) Lecture by Miles Leeson, 26 September 2021
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