Iris Murdoch: The Retrospective Fiction considers one of the major British novelists of the post-war years in a new light, arguing that Murdoch's compulsive plots and characters are strongly motivated by the question of the past. Drawing on many of her key works, and providing the first analysis of her 'first-person retrospective' novels as a separate group within the larger body of her fiction, the book also considers Murdoch's relation to key currents within twentieth-century thought, like modernism. postmodernism, and psychoanalysis.
'...lucid, insightful and well-documented.' - David Herman, Modern Fiction Studies
'...[Nicol] offers a fresh and valuable perspective on many of [Murdoch's 'retrospective fictions'] distinctive features...an interesting and lucid book about Murdoch's narrators, a subject that has not had proper attention...' - George Soule, The Iris Murdoch Newsletter
'Nicol's is an important voice in Murdoch criticism, at first glance maverick, but essentially original and challenging, and it is very good to have his study with us, brought up-to-date.' - Peter J. Conradi, author of the acclaimed official biography, Iris Murdoch: A Life
Reviews for the first edition:
'...lucid, insightful and well-documented' - David Herman, Modern Fiction Studies
'...[Nicol] offers a fresh and valuable perspective on many of [Murdoch's 'retrospective fictions'] distinctive features...an interesting and lucid book about Murdoch's narrators, a subject that has not had proper attention...' - George Soule, The Iris Murdoch Newsletter
'...[Nicol] offers a fresh and valuable perspective on many of [Murdoch's 'retrospective fictions'] distinctive features...an interesting and lucid book about Murdoch's narrators, a subject that has not had proper attention...' - George Soule, The Iris Murdoch Newsletter
'Nicol's is an important voice in Murdoch criticism, at first glance maverick, but essentially original and challenging, and it is very good to have his study with us, brought up-to-date.' - Peter J. Conradi, author of the acclaimed official biography, Iris Murdoch: A Life
Reviews for the first edition:
'...lucid, insightful and well-documented' - David Herman, Modern Fiction Studies
'...[Nicol] offers a fresh and valuable perspective on many of [Murdoch's 'retrospective fictions'] distinctive features...an interesting and lucid book about Murdoch's narrators, a subject that has not had proper attention...' - George Soule, The Iris Murdoch Newsletter