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Iris Murdoch for Beginners
by Bran Nicol (Illustrator: Piero)
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Writers & Readers Publishing (2001-05-10)
ISBN: 0863164013
EAN: 9780863164019
Dewy Decimal #: 031
Paperback: 144 pages
SKU: 071608032
Condition: Used: Good
Comments: ...No noticeable Underlining or Highlighting...minor wear on cover
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Bran Nicol explores the works of Iris Murdoch (1919–1999) as well as the “very quiet dark place” she inhabited in her last years. Piero adds his striking original illustrations.
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Customer Reviews
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iris made easy
Rating  (5)
Date: 2006-07-24
what a delight-the b ook was better than i expected and the process was a breeze. thanks
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Now I know why I was attracted when diagnosed with CRS
Rating (5)
Date: 2003-04-07
14 out of 14 customers found this reveiw helpful
Very soon after I was diagnosed as inflicted with Alzheimer's, the movie, "Iris", came forth. Before I saw the movie, I bought the book, John Bayley's, "Iris, A Memoir," but have not been able to finish it, one of my CRS symptoms is an inability to read as I used to. Then I saw the movie, and it was as confusing to me as "Godsford Park," because of the convoluted story line: e.g., ALZ has rendered such works as CSI and West Wing totally incomprehensible.I wondered, in my ignorance, who the heck was Iris Murdoch, and why all the fuss and feathers. Then I bought this gem of a book by Nicol. I am transported. The text, with telling quotes and illustrations, tells me what I have overlooked, pre-ALZ. Do I feel guilty as an Emeritus Professor in resorting to the Classic Comics of the 21st Century?
Not in the slightest: Nicol puts forth one idea in serial fashion and for the first time I understand rational humanism, existentialism, selfism & Simone Weill. Murdoch defines my AA Higher power as "A single perfect transcendent non-representational and necessarily real object of attention." I can live with that in preference to the Ontology of Neo-Scholasticism of my own undergraduate daze.
I am indebted to Nicol for pointing out Murdoch's notion of love as the ideal of attention: "When we really love someone (rather than just lusting after them or seeing them as someone who can improve our self-image)--we are really seeing them. . . We become so immersed in them that we actually forget ourselves for a moment. We obliterate our self by attempting to empathize with another." [And CODA be damned.]
Therefore, I am truly grateful for this "trot." It gives me what I can no longer do for myself, due to my own data overload ALZ deterioration. Thank you, Nicol. Memory Impaired "Reverse Mike."
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Very enjoyable
Rating  (4)
Date: 2002-01-24
12 out of 12 customers found this reveiw helpful
Like the reviewer below I bought this book a little guiltily. I already know quite a lot abot Iris Murdoch and I was curious to know what on earth this comic book could have to say about such a serious writer and for what audience. However it's a fun and surprisingly informative read and I certainly learnt things about Murdoch that I didn't know before. It also got me interested in Murdoch all over again and I am now re-reading some of the novels and catching up with those I missed out first time round. It makes me happy to see so many positive reviews of the Murdoch books on Amazon and so many delighted new readers. It almost looks like she's becoming quite a cult. Perhaps one day soon I'll be able to stop saying "I know it's unfashionable to like Iris Murdoch but..."
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A Great Way to Begin
Rating (4)
Date: 2002-01-15
16 out of 16 customers found this reveiw helpful
I only bought this book because I thought it was hilarious that the Beginners series did one on Iris Murdoch. It just seemed a strange choice. However, now that I've read it I feel that Bran Nicol gives a very comprehensive and entertaining introduction to one of the greatest British writers of the 20th century. The most insightful thing about the book is his very concise, but pointed explanation of Murdoch's philosophy. He does this systematically by explaining the terms of philosophy she was working with in her time period and giving short summaries of the influential thinkers like Plato, Sarte & Freud. He also does a fair evaluation of some of her most important fiction and gives a summary of the most poignant events in her life. While he could have written much more as she wrote so many interesting and diverse novels, the aim of the book and the series is only to give a beginning to the author and there are tips at the end of the best books of Murdoch's to begin with to understand her work. I'd recommend this book to not only anyone who hasn't read books by Murdoch and wants a starting point with her work, but also to people who've read several of her novels and want a better understanding of her place as a great philosophical thinker. This naturally gives further insight to the books you have already read by her. It is a comprehensive and rich start.
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