Join Gillian Dooley, Jan Skinner, and Frances White as they explore the influence of Jane Austen, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf on Iris Murdoch's thought and writing. Topics covered include the connections between Austen and Murdoch, Murdoch's changing views on Woolf, consciousness and morality in their works, the theme of death and grief, Murdoch's engagement with fiction as a philosopher, and recommendations of Murdoch's novels.
Iris Murdoch admired Jane Austen for her subtlety and skill in creating interesting plots and animated characters, but her influence on Murdoch's writing style is difficult to pinpoint.
While George Eliot was appreciated by Iris Murdoch for her intellectual vision and ability to create complex characters, Murdoch did not feel a personal connection to her work.
Although initially distant, Iris Murdoch eventually acknowledged Virginia Woolf's significance and influence, appreciating Woolf's comedic elements and subtle literary artistry.
Deep dives
The Influence of Jane Austen on Iris Murdoch
Iris Murdoch held Jane Austen in high regard as one of her literary heroes. She frequently mentioned Austen's preeminence in the 19th-century novel tradition and valued her subtlety and skill in creating interesting plots and animated characters. While Murdoch admired Austen's work, it is challenging to pinpoint direct influences or specific examples of how Austen impacted Murdoch's writing style. Murdoch's appreciation for Austen does not necessarily translate into a direct emulation of her techniques or themes.
George Eliot and Murdoch's Engagement with Her
While Murdoch admired George Eliot, she did not have the same level of affinity for her as she did for Jane Austen. Murdoch saw Eliot as a serious writer who developed an intellectual vision, but she did not necessarily feel a personal connection. Murdoch was drawn to Eliot's ability to create complex characters and explore moral dynamics in her novels. However, Murdoch's views on Eliot may have been influenced by her husband, John Bailey, who held a dismissive attitude towards Virginia Woolf and some other writers. Murdoch's engagement with Eliot's work stemmed more from a fascination with her moral ideas rather than a deep personal resonance.
Virginia Woolf's Impact on Murdoch's Writing
Murdoch's relationship with Virginia Woolf was complicated. While she admired Woolf's writing, she felt a sense of distance and lack of personal connection. Murdoch valued the comedic elements in the novel, which she found to be present in Austen's work but not as apparent in Woolf's writing. Despite her initial reservations, Murdoch's views on Woolf evolved over time, and she eventually acknowledged Woolf's significance and influence in her own writing. In her novel 'The Book and the Brotherhood,' Murdoch pays tribute to Woolf's literary subtlety and subtly draws connections between their works, suggesting a shift in Murdoch's perception of Woolf as a literary predecessor.
The Diffuse and Omnipresent Influence of Jane Austen
Jane Austen's influence on Murdoch's writing was significant and pervasive, but it is challenging to pinpoint specific examples or direct influences. Murdoch held Austen in high regard as a great novelist with a deep understanding of human nature and a subtle artistry. Austen's ability to create interesting plots, animate characters, and infuse wit and humor into her works resonated with Murdoch. However, Murdoch's writing style and themes cannot be reduced to direct emulation. Instead, the influence of Austen is diffuse and omnipresent in Murdoch's writing.
Recommendations and Final Thoughts
For readers interested in exploring the connections between Murdoch and the authors discussed in the podcast, it is recommended to read works by Jane Austen, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf, followed by Murdoch's novels. Specifically, 'The Book and the Brotherhood' is highlighted as an often overlooked Murdoch novel, worth exploring for its rich storytelling and literature references. Murdoch's thoughts on the importance of the novel, alongside the broader themes of female literary lineage and influence, invite further scholarly investigation and deeper understanding.
In this episode Miles is joined by Gillian Dooley (Flinders University, Australia), Jan Skinner (Formerly Oxford University's Continuing Education Department), and Frances White (Chichester University) to discuss the influence of Jane Austen, George Eliot and Virginia Woolf on the thought and writing of Iris.
Gillian Dooley is Honorary Associate Professor in English Literature at Flinders University Australia. Editor of From a Tiny Corner in the House of Fiction: Conversations with Iris Murdoch as well as the recent Listening to Iris Murdoch: Music Sounds and Silences recently published with Palgrave. She’s also published widely on Austen, and is the leading expert on Austen’s connections with music.
Jan Skinner was formerly a tutor at Oxford's Continuing Education Department, who has published work on the connections between George Eliot and Murdoch.
Frances White is author of the forthcoming monograph Iris Murdoch and Remorse with Palgrave Macmillan, as well as the co-edited collection Iris Murdoch and the Literary Imagination. She has written most detailed examination of Murdoch’s connections with Woolf in the collection Iris Murdoch Connected which is published by the University of Tennessee Press.
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