Exploring Murdochian Space: Narrative Space as Grounds for Moral Goodness in Iris Murdoch’s The Bell
Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2025
Yazarlar: Begüm TUĞLU ATAMER
CRITIQUE-STUDIES IN CONTEMPORARY FICTION, AHCI İndekslerine Giren Dergi, Uluslararası, Current Contents/Arts & Humanities, 2025, cilt 67, ss 1-17
DOI: 10.1080/00111619.2025.2581630
Özet
This study explores narrative space in Iris Murdoch’s The Bell (1958) to show how it is specifically constructed to influence characters’ moral developments. Murdoch positions characters in London, Imber Court, the Abbey, and the lake, where their moral visions are tested. These spaces are active sources of self-transformation whose meanings are intertwined with subjective perception and character interactions. Murdoch’s method of combining realistic settings with that of platonic spaces to better expose the ideal dynamics of moral goodness is enhanced with her use of romanticist elements in detailing nature as a living entity. This unique use of narrative space can be termed as “Murdochian space,” which is defined in the study in relation to Murdoch’s moral vision. The study consequently puts forward that Murdochian space is an effective ground to emphasize the importance of gaining awareness toward an individual reality through a fair and attentive moral vision.Footnote2