My first contact with Iris Murdoch was through the movie Iris. I fell in love with the author through Kate Winslet depiction. Knowing this to not be an accurate representation of the author I decided to start reading through her books, hopefully in order. This is not an easy task as many of her books I was not able to find.
Iris wrote twenty-eight novels in her life. A few of which were written when she was stricken with Alzheimer's. This lens is dedicated to the author and philosopher Iris Murdoch and her novels as I work them.
"Language is not a cage."
~Iris Murdoch
Under the Net
Under the Net was Iris Murdoch's first novel published in 1954 and is one of Time Magazine's 100 best novels of all time. Much is made of Murdoch's philosophy background and how she married it with her fiction writing. And while I do find this present it doesn't make the story any more or less entertaining. The most common philosophical theme in this book is that of truth and lies in communication and how we are incapable of ever telling the complete truth.James Donaghue (Jake) is a struggling British writer and book translator living in London. The story opens with Magdalen (Madge), a typist and model, kicking him out of her flat in a reverse psychology attempt at getting him to commit.
According to Jake, Hugo Belfounder "is the central theme of this book". Jake first met Hugo years earlier when they participated in a medical research project as test subjects. They shared a room, lively conversation and a mutual respect. Jake ended up publishing a book about Hugo's ideas on the sly. He felt guilty about it and ditched his friend with no notice. Years later, Hugo is suddenly under his radar and all Jake wants to do is find Hugo and apologize for what he feels is a great grievance against him.
Finding Hugo and a new place to live doesn't come as easy as expected because Jake is easily distracted especially when he discovers a planned double-cross involving his Madge, her new beau Samuel Starfield and The Wooden Nightingale (Jake's current translation). Throughout Jake gets himself into a number of extraordinary situations (like stealing an acting dog, skinny dipping in the Thames or bringing down an entire movie set on a crowd of protesters), always managing to get out from under the net at the last moment.
Many think the title of Murdoch's first book has to do with her philosophy background; specifically with Austria philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. After reading this novel I think it has more to do with Jake's escapades and how he gets so close to being caught but manages to slip out from "under the net" at the last moment.
"Under the net" appears in an excerpt that Jake shares from his published book, The Silencer, in a conversation between Tamarus and Annandine on the theory of why we do what we do. "All theorizing is flight. We must be ruled by the situation itself and this is unutterably particular. Indeed it is something to which we can never get close enough, however hard we may try as it were to crawl under the net."
In reviews, I kept reading about how laugh-out-loud funny this book was but I didn't actually make a peep until Jake met Mars the acting dog and asked it to feign death so Jake could skirt the police. The whole scenario was a riot... literally. Overall, the book was a big disappointment for me but I haven't sworn off Murdoch yet. It is after all only her first book. There are twenty-five more to go.
Add Under the Net to your Book Shelf
Under the Net
Join Jake on his escapades through the streets of London as he looks for a long lost friend and meets an array of interesting characters.
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 05/11/2008)
"We can only learn to love by loving." ~Iris Murdoch
What's in a Title
Getting to know Iris
- A Review of the Movie Iris
- The focus of this story is Iris and John's relationship and their mutual love of words. It follows the course of their rocky courtship and lovely philosophical discussions to...
- Iris Murdoch Interactive Quiz
- Do you think you know Iris Murdoch? Here's a little interactive quiz to test your knowledge.
Iris
The Movie...
"Some kinds of obsession, of which being in love is one, paralyze the ordinary free-wheeling of the mind, its natural open interested curious mode of being, which is sometimes persuasively defined as rationality. I was sane enough to know that I was in a state of total obsession and that I could only think, over and over again, certain agonizing thoughts, could only run continually along the same rat paths of fantasy and intent. But I was not sane enough to interrupt this mechanical movement or even the desire to do so." ~Iris Murdoch (The Sea, The Sea)
Vote for Your Favorite Iris Murdoch Novel
Here is a listing of Iris Murdoch novels from 1954 to 1995. Click on the arrows to raise your favorite to the top.
"*" titles are still available in print.
Under the Net (1954) *
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Flight from the Enchanter (1956)
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The Sandcastle (1957)*
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The Bell (1958)*
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A Severed Head (1961)*
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An Unofficial Rose (1962)*
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The Unicorn (1963)*
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Italian Girl (1964)
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The Red and the Green (1965)
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The Time of the Angels (1966)
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The Nice and the Good (1968)*
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Bruno's Dream (1969)
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A Fairly Honourable Defeat (1970)*
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An Accidental Man (1971)*
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The Black Prince (1973)*
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A Word Child (1975)
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Henry and Cato (1976)
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The Sea, The Sea (1978)*
Winner of the Booker Prize.0 points
Nuns and Soldiers (1980)*
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The Philosopher's Pupil (1983)
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The Good Apprentice (1985)*
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The Book and the Brotherhood (1987)*
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The Message to the Planet (1989)
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The Green Knight (1993)*
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Jackson's Dilemma (1995)*
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John Bayley On Iris
Elegy for Iris
Amazon Price: (as of 05/11/2008)
Iris and Her Friends: A Memoir of Memory and Desire
Amazon Price: $13.95 (as of 05/11/2008)
Iris
Amazon Price: $25.74 (as of 05/11/2008)
"Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real." ~Iris Murdoch
Talking Murdoch
There are a number of informative websites by people who adore Iris Murdoch and her writings. Add (or vote) for your favorite here.
NYT Featured Author
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The Iris Murdoch Society - Welcome
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Iris Murdoch - Article
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Illness that sent Iris Murdoch tumbling into a sea of silence - Times Online
Alzheimer's crept up on Iris Murdoch slowly.0 points
BBC - BBC Four - Audio Interviews - Iris Murdoch
Listen to extracts from a BBC interview with Iris more...0 points
Iris Murdoch's husband sells 1,000-book library - Times Online
IRIS MURDOCH'S working library, a collection of al more...0 points
A poison pen in the Iris idyll - Times Online
WHEN Iris Murdoch, one of the most famous novelist more...0 points
Bedding Miss Murdoch - Times Online
YESTERDAY, the thick philosophical tome by Iris Mu more...0 points
Iris Murdoch: A remarkable literary talent
The novelist Iris Murdoch, who has died aged 79, h more...0 points
"We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality." ~Iris Murdoch
Fetching blurbs now... please stand by