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 These resonances are traced through close readings of Murdoch's published fiction and philosophy in combination with unpublished texts, including annotations, interviews and letters.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.
Chapter One: Introduction: Evil and the Writings of Iris Murdoch.- Chapter Two: Iris Murdoch and the Problem of Evil.- Chapter Three: Iris Murdoch and the Problem of Dualism.- Chapter Five: Responding to Evil: Banality, Testimony and Terrorism.- Chapter Five: Murdoch's Villains: Enchanters, Psychopaths and Saints.- Chapter Six: Female Figures of Evil: Gender and Power in Murdoch's Fiction.- Chapter Seven: Conclusion.
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.
