Degrees of Evil in Iris Murdoch's Fiction and Philosophy

“Iris Murdoch is vital for her time and ours. Her writings resonate powerfully with the deepest areas of our lives. Nowhere is this more evident than in her depiction of evil. She did not shy away from dealing with the horrors of the twentieth century. This book engages with Murdoch on evil, recognising the range of her reading and influences and the power of her writing. I recommend this book for those familiar with Murdoch and for all those aware of the force of evil in our lives.” —Gary Browning, Emeritus Professor of Political Thought at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK “Daniel Read throws unprecedented light on Murdoch’s fears for the impact of evil on the world. His work is not only a significant contribution to contemporary Murdoch scholarship, it is also a challenge to humanity to recognise and respond to evil when they meet it, face to face.” —Anne Rowe, Visiting Professor at the University of Chichester and Emeritus Research Fellow at Kingston University, London, UK This is the first survey of Murdoch’s exploration of evil, addressing aesthetic, philosophical, political and theological perspectives. The study demonstrates how her work engages with currently urgent issues of trauma, terrorism and psychopathy and brings her works into dialogue with key figures in twentieth- and twenty-first-century discussions of evil, including Hannah Arendt, Carl Gustav Jung, Susan Neiman and Simone Weil. These resonances are traced through close readings of Murdoch’s published fiction and philosophy in combination with unpublished texts, including annotations, interviews and letters. Murdoch’s detailed and nuanced portrayal of evil invites readers to explore the complexities of human behaviour and the potential for moral failure. Daniel Read is a Visiting (Hourly Paid) Lecturer at Kingston University, London, where he completed his PhD in 2019. He is also an editor of and contributor to the Iris Murdoch Review. Degrees of Evil in Iris Murdoch’s Fiction and Philosophy is his first monograph.