Iris Murdoch: das sombras à luz

Abstract

In this essay, I argue that the image of light is a very significant one in Iris Murdoch’s work both philosophical and literary, and I explore its potentialities as well as its limitations. I establish a link between two novels by Iris Murdoch and her philosophical ideas, by making reference to her philosophical work as a whole. The Bell (1958) and A Severed Head (1961) respectively represent, in my reading, a transition from the shadows to light, with the second novel reproducing in a very direct way Plato's allegory of the cave. In this transition, the moral capacity of unselfing and particular attention to the individual – which are key  Murdochian ideas from her philosophical work – are called into question. By reaching the state of “illumination”, one reaches what Murdoch understands to be love, a state of truth where goodness dwells, and the exercise of attention (as a way of unselfing, much inspired by Simone Weil’s own conception of it) is crucial to reach that state. I argue that The Bell showcases the impossibility of doing just that, whereas A Severed Head idealizes the achievement of this state. Along the way we will notice some Murdochian ideas about the relationships between art, philosophy, and morals, namely that her novels question her own  philosophical ideas, instead of just illustrating them; the irrelevance of boundaries between external and internal life; and how Murdoch's work benefits from some Aristotelian ideas, most importantly a conception of how we learn to be virtuous.