Iris Murdoch was once described as having a highly intellectual temperament, a challenging nature, a deeply analytical bent, a Marxist philosophy, an existentialist approach to life, and a great generosity of mind and spirit. She was also said to be "very striking and determined, like an emancipated character in an Aldous Huxley novel."

The Bell is a meandering tale that encapsulates a group of people in search of something "spiritual," if not precisely theologically-based, as well as in search of themselves. They have informally clustered together at a Palladian estate called "Imber Court," within the grounds of which is an adjacent former Benedictine monastic community of monks, now a monastery for cloistered women, presided over by an Abbess.

These lay people are described as "sick people who can neither live in nor out of the world" and who are "haunted by God." It is noted that every pilgrimage involves a purification of desire, and in The Bell, some residents are on a quest for goodness and love rather than for God.

Michael Meade, a shy, chaste homosexual, failed schoolmaster, and heir of the Imber Court estate, is nominally the head of this collective of diverse souls. Each has a different level of motivation for bonding together, with Michael providing lodgings for the group. He is Cambridge educated, a confirmed believer, and an ex-company commander with a local regiment. It was he who had the vision to create this commune.

Among the characters at Imber are Peter Topglass, Michael's old friend from university, pious and a naturalist; James, who aspired to be a missionary but settled into community work and, after a nervous breakdown, longs to move to the country for rehabilitation; Dora, who is flighty and forgets her luggage on the train and feels socially inferior to the others; Catherine, a highly-strung vegetarian on a spiritual quest and considering becoming a nun; Toby Gashe, a young Oxford-bound lad who makes love to Dora before abruptly departing; and Paul Greenfield, a Cambridge man and a snob, researching rare manuscripts at Imber while married to and very controlling of Dora, 12 years younger.

The Bell itself stands as a symbol of male/female, arousing spirituality in some where love of man and love of God flow together. The old bell has been missing for ages, and a new one is on order, representing an attempt to regenerate the community and provide a link between the age of faith and miracles and a modern, more secular time.

In time, some of the group are transformed, while others drift away or linger for lack of alternatives. Michael retains a hold over his community, giving Sunday sermons. The old and missing bell, inscribed "Ego Vox Amoris Sum" (I am the Voice of Love), does make an appearance, but details are withheld to avoid spoiling the book for potential readers.

Iris Murdoch's The Bell was written 60 years ago, and her world was different from ours in many ways. However, the book contains uplifting language and a memorable assembly of quirky characters striving for meaning. This was the reviewer's first encounter with Murdoch and has aroused their interest in reading other works by the author, such as The Sea, The Sea.

*There is an excellent biography of Iris Murdoch by Peter J. Conradi, Iris Murdoch: A Life.

**Photo images within the review are of the author, Iris Murdoch, at various points in her life.

I truly adored the opening chapters of the book. They were so captivating, especially the ending with the butterfly. It added a touch of magic and mystery.

However, I didn't have a great opinion of Imber Court. The geography described in it was incredibly tiresome. There were almost constant references to the location in relation to the house, the lake, and the abbey. It felt like listening to someone giving overly complicated directions, and you just tune out and think, "Gosh, I wish I had a map" the whole time.

Regarding the story, everything seemed to revolve around Michael's exposition, and everyone else appeared to be just fulfilling a role. It made the story a bit one-sided.

To make matters even worse, someone insisted that Toby buy a pair of swimming trunks! The only highlight seemed to be the various characters stumbling across his naked sunbathing.

I'm beginning to think that I might only love Iris Murdoch when she's writing about London. My least favorite works of hers all seem to be set in the country. Maybe it's because I can better relate to the urban setting and the complex relationships and dramas that unfold there.

Em The Bell, Iris Murdoch delves into a diverse range of unconventional topics for that era - homosexuality, feminism, and religion - to explore the most universal theme of all: love. It's not specifically romantic love, as the distinctions between it and platonic or religious love are intentionally left somewhat undefined in the book. Instead, love is presented as a fundamental emotion for the human experience, the very foundation and fuel of life.

The book offers an alternating perspective between the protagonists Dora, Michael, and Toby, and it is truly remarkable in its sensitivity and frankness. In Dora's journey, the author explores the idea of imperfect emancipation, a breaking of the expectations for a woman in the 1950s that not only allows but demands that she disrupt the status quo. Michael, a closeted homosexual man, and Toby, a young man somehow forced to define and assert his own sexuality, were characters that personally appealed to me as a queer man. The way Murdoch describes the feelings and actions of these characters is surprisingly realistic and progressive even today, and even more so for 1958 when homosexuality was still illegal in England and much of the world.

Beyond the captivating story and fascinating philosophy of the book, the prose is constantly a high point that kept me glued to the pages, especially during the second half of the story. I'm eager to read other books by Iris Murdoch, who so far seems to have been one of the most interesting authors of the past century.

\\"I know how much you grieve over those who are under your care: those you try to help and fail, those you cannot help. Often we do not achieve for others the good that we intend; but we achieve something, something that goes on from our effort. Good is an overflow. Where we generously and sincerely intend it, we are engaged in a work of creation which may be mysterious even to ourselves. But this should not make us draw back. We can only learn to love by loving. Imperfect love must not be condemned and rejected, but made perfect. The way is always forward, never back.\\"

I'll just have the good old English cup of tea, if I may.

There's something truly special about that classic English beverage. The rich aroma that fills the air as the hot water steeps the tea leaves is simply enchanting. It has been a beloved tradition for generations, a comforting ritual that can soothe the soul and provide a moment of relaxation in the midst of a busy day. Whether it's enjoyed in the morning to kickstart the day, in the afternoon as a pick-me-up, or in the evening to unwind, a cup of English tea is always a welcome treat. The smooth and mellow flavor, perhaps enhanced with a touch of milk and a hint of sugar, is a taste that is instantly recognizable and deeply satisfying. It's a small pleasure that can bring a smile to one's face and a sense of warmth to the heart. So, if I may, I'll gladly indulge in that good old English cup of tea and savor every delicious sip.

"O Sino" was my first encounter with the work of the Irish author Iris Murdoch, and it didn't disappoint me much due to the originality of the narrative and a beautiful prose filled with phrase compositions and literary devices pregnant with lyricism and poetry.

The action of this curious story is set in Imber Court, where a small Anglican lay community gathered in the shadow of a Benedictine convent, also Anglican, somewhere in Gloucestershire, a county located in the southwest region of England. As for the temporal aspect, I wasn't able to define it precisely, although I might have had the feeling that it was set in the first third of the 20th century. This factor, however, in no way implies with the development or the literary structuring used by the author. Perhaps it's one of those timeless books, whose story could even be the subject of composition in the present days. For me, it's a plus for Murdoch.

Michael Mead is the spiritual guide of this community, and it was from him that its creation stemmed, taking advantage of the house and lands he inherited. From an early age, he felt the spiritual call to the priesthood but failed in this purpose, dedicating a professional career to teaching, although he had preserved, in the deepest recesses of his being, that vocation.

Dora Greenfield, married to Paul Greenfield, thirteen years older and a documentary medieval art historian, is a woman trapped in a complex union, feeling bound to a man "severely disturbed who oscillated between brutality and sentimentality in a way that seemed both terrifying and repulsive to Dora." After some years, she decided to leave her husband, who inspired deep terror in her, to live an adventure with Noel Spens, but she would later return to him, and they would both join the community with Paul.

Toby Gashe, an adolescent who, on the eve of entering Oxford, decides, on the suggestion of his tutor James Tayper Pace, also an important element in the community of Imber Court, to undertake a kind of spiritual retreat that would bring him a positive experience in a world that would allow him "to bring dignity and meaning to daily life through work." In Imber Court, everyone had a function to make the small community self-sufficient, performing agricultural work for their subsistence on the one hand and, on the other hand, in a commercial vein, which would allow them to sell the surpluses.

Among other characters, Catherine and Nick Fawley, twins, she willing to enter as a novice in the abbey of Imber, he being problematic, creating conflict and antagonism situations with Michael Meed.

And the bell... fifteen days before the start of the action, the abbey of Imber awaits the arrival of the new bell, since the previous one, dating from the 14th century and which, allegedly, had been thrown into the lake - which is part of the property of Imber Court and the convent of Amber - during the dissolution of the religious orders, or by the nuns themselves trying to avoid it being stolen. "It's a famous bell, for the excellence of its sound and for being very effective against plagues and evil spirits. It was decorated with scenes from the life of Christ, in relief, which is very uncommon. It would be of great interest if it were found. The bell was called Gabriel" - Paul explained to Dora.

The interesting thing about this narrative is how Murdoch related all those characters in a web of jealousy, betrayal, homosexuality, suffering, disappointment, and adultery, with the convent bell as the backdrop, as well as the spiritual community. But also the way she proposes a conclusion that涵盖 concepts such as redemption, understanding, acceptance, and hope: "She pondered, without intensity, on what it was: her reason for complaint about nature, her wrong personal choices. One day, no doubt, everything would appear to her again full of a vast meaning, and she would then try to find the truth. One day, she would also feel that indefinitely extensive need that a human being feels for another and would respond to it with all her heart (...). But all that seemed to her of very little importance. Nothing could, therefore, amend the past." Can nothing, in fact, amend the past?

The first of many others, surely!

Reading Iris Murdoch is always such a delight.

As A.S. Byatt so aptly remarks in the introduction, it is truly a remarkable achievement to have a book that combines both entertainment and a wealth of interesting philosophical ideas.

Murdoch's works are a treasure trove of intellectual stimulation and literary charm.

Her ability to create engaging characters and complex storylines while also delving into profound philosophical concepts is truly remarkable.

Each page of her books is filled with thought-provoking ideas that make the reader question their own beliefs and perspectives.

Whether it's exploring the nature of love, the meaning of life, or the role of morality in society, Murdoch's writing always manages to captivate and inspire.

Reading her works is not only a source of entertainment but also a journey of self-discovery and intellectual growth.

It is a pleasure to immerse oneself in the world of Iris Murdoch and experience the unique blend of fun and philosophy that her books offer.

Each of us has our own way of understanding God.

I am certain that you will understand what I mean when I say that people find God, so to speak, in certain places.

People have, in relation to God, a sense of direction, a feeling that here is what is most real, best, most true.

This sense of reality and importance is linked to certain experiences in our lives....

And for different people, those experiences can be different.

God speaks to us in various languages.

It is to this that we must pay attention.

Page 180.

For example, some people might find a profound sense of God's presence in a quiet forest, where the beauty and stillness seem to point to a higher power.

Others might feel it in the midst of a bustling city, perhaps when witnessing acts of kindness and love.

Some might experience it through prayer and meditation, while others might encounter it in the face of a great tragedy and find strength and comfort that they believe comes from God.

We need to be open to these different ways in which God reveals Himself to us and not limit our understanding to just one or a few specific experiences.

By being attentive to the various languages in which God speaks, we can deepen our relationship with Him and gain a more comprehensive understanding of His love and purpose for our lives.

A wonderful philosophical story with rich and complex characters and personal dilemmas of a group of people who form a religious community or sect belonging to the Anglican Church in England. They have taken a secluded monastery in a rural area of Gloucestershire in a large house owned by one of the founders of the community, "Michael Mead". They live in a spiritual atmosphere secluded from the material worldly world, relying on themselves in farming and producing their scarce living requirements, and separating themselves from the outside world while practicing their religious rituals.

We see a group that temporarily includes a wealthy world for studying some manuscripts in the monastery and his non-religious wife "Dora Greenfield" with her marital problems, "Michael Mead" and his dilemma represented in sexual perfection and conflicting with his being a religious man and the church's prohibition, "James" a friend of Michael and one of the founders with his own views, "Catherine" the girl preparing for the priesthood and her mental turmoil, and other examples from their closed society, and they are waiting for a new decree from the church in the monastery in the coming days.

James insists on achieving perfection and adhering to absolute moral rigor, while Michael believes that man is weak and should be given the opportunity for virtue and return to the right path.

"The human heart reaches a state of peace as if it is pulled by a magnetic force, and the pangs of remorse themselves fade with time."

The structure of the novel is solid and is characterized by the richness of the characters, the plot, and the author's philosophical view of a diverse society, and everything is presented in a coherent and clear narrative, representing a critical and philosophical analytical view by the author of both sides; their society that represents morals and teachings with effective internal conflicts in their actions, and the outside world that is harsh and prohibited in all forms. And will that sect last until the end?

"Remorse means thinking about the sin without striving to turn this thought into repentance."

The novel took a lot of time. But not because it was boring, but because it was an audiobook. Generally, I'm one of those people who perceive much worse by listening. (Firstly, I get distracted much more often; secondly, there aren't so many situations where there is the possibility to just listen and do nothing else). But I decided to train my attention in this way. (Sorry, Iris)

This novel by Murdoch I haven't read before. But it has everything that I love about British literature and this author herself. Additionally, a complete (almost dramatic) plot where everything moves towards a logical culmination, where each cog shoots when it's its turn, and all the complex questions remain without trivial answers.

The novel is about the illusoriness of running away from oneself. About faith and disbelief. About attainability and love, infantilism and adulthood. About vanity. And all in the British settings of the middle of the 20th century.

Whenever I pick up an Iris Murdoch novel, it initially seems as if I am embarking on a tale with conventional romance trappings.

However, very quickly, there is a moment of unease. I begin to understand that she has lured me away from the safe harbour where her story begins.

The universe her characters inhabit might be familiar to me, but I am not conversant with its rules.

The Bell was no exception. At first, it seemed that the primary story would be that of Dora, the desultory wife who marries Paul half-heartedly, leaves, and then reunites with him.

Eventually, her narrative gives way to the voices of Michael and Toby. Nobody ever does what I'd expect them to.

The novel makes me think very hard about the ideas and motivations that preoccupy the book: thoughts about love, sexuality, spirituality, and constancy fan out.

By the end, Dora has come back to lead us away and out of the tumult.

I found this to be a compulsive read and a valuable one. I must thank Adrian for directing me to it. :)

I think we all initially had the perception that Murdoch would be a difficult and highly intellectual author. However, in reality, she is quite the opposite. She is funny, perceptive, and her works are very easy to read.

Despite the specific setting of this book, which is in the 1950s within a lay community, and its characters who are very middle class British, I still found the book to be extremely compelling.

The story is written largely from the point of view of three of the characters, namely Dora, Michael, and Toby. The language used in the book effectively conveys the personalities and failings of these characters.

What's more, her handling of male homosexuality is very sensitive and believable. This is even more impressive considering that the book was first published in 1958 when homosexuality was still illegal in England.

Her writing style is highly visual, creating a powerful sense of place. Imber Court and its gardens are so vividly described that they are extremely easy to visualise.

In conclusion, it is a truly compelling read that keeps driving you forward towards its conclusion.

This book is truly remarkable. It is so, so good. It is one of those rare books that makes me wonder, how on earth did the author manage to create such a masterpiece? How did she come up with such a captivating story? What an incredible amount of formal control it must have taken to write this seemingly simple yet profoundly complex tale, filled with so much depth and meaning.

The beginning has a touch of Middlemarch, as a rather innocent girl, Dora, marries an older man, Paul, who is passionate about his scholarship but also extremely narcissistic, manipulative, and abusive. Maybe the author is being self-conscious by naming the young woman Dora, similar to Dorothea in Middlemarch. But then again, Dora is a name that carries a lot of weight in 20th-century literature.
Murdoch wrote this novel in 1958, but it feels as if it could have been written yesterday. Scared of her husband, Dora leaves him. The first line of the novel, "Dora Greenfield left her husband because she was afraid of him," is a powerful and memorable one. It should definitely be among those great beginnings that are often listed in various literary venues.
While away from her husband, Dora has a sexual fling with another man, a hippy-ish type who is both a lover and a friend and asks nothing of her. This eventually leads her right back into Paul's arms. Here, we see the first theme of the novel emerge - the hold that narcissistic, manipulative, and abusive men have on women. I can attest to the truth of this from personal experience. But, as I'm getting ahead of myself, these men also have the entire world on their side. Their wives, who don't understand them, abandon them and hurt them because they seem so nice, so sweet, and so defenseless. Narcissistic, manipulative, and abusive men have the world wrapped around their fingers, as if the world is a constellation of planets rotating around their suns.
The evolving relationship between Paul and Dora, with its tentativeness, delicacy, and ambivalence, is one of the joys of this novel. The story takes place in a lay religious community attached to a nuns' monastery. Paul goes there to research ancient manuscripts. The nuns are cloistered, but one can request audiences, and mass is said every day at the monastery, which outsiders can attend. However, the design of the chapel is such that the nuns are invisible to the outsiders. Dora, trapped in her own terrible marriage, is horrified by the nuns' self-imposed exile and fails to see, at least initially, that they are actually quite free and fulfilled.
The lay community is a thing of beauty. It is led by a most charming character, a gay man with a complex past, torn between sexual trouble and a strong vocation to the priesthood. The community is located in a large, run-down but still beautiful country mansion, architecturally connected to the monastery and bordered by a lake. There are bridges and boats, and one can't really leave without using one of them. There is also a small town within walking distance.
The small lay community is only one year old and consists of a diverse group of about 10 idiosyncratic people. There are two leaders: Michael, the reluctant real leader, and James, his second in command, who is less likable than Michael. James is a man of certainties, while Michael is anything but. But they all mean well and are deeply committed to what they are doing. They work the land, grow their own food, have meetings, pray, share meals in silence, and enjoy the quiet and contemplative nature of their lives.
The crux of the novel, it seems to me, is that religious inspiration is inevitably erotic, and this eroticism needs an outlet. People who choose celibacy for religious reasons work on this their entire lives, and when they do it well (as the nuns in the novel do), they become lovely human beings with a purity, simplicity, youthfulness, and joy that is truly enchanting. I don't believe that all of this comes from chastity alone. There are many married people with the same qualities. I think it comes from freely giving one's life to the spirit, radically, in a way that is not driven by neurosis, bitterness, or repression but by a true calling. The negotiation of the body's cravings and the soul's longings in the name of love can shape people into a kind of eternal youthfulness.
I love the way Murdoch delves deep into the lay community members' struggles with their lofty religiosity and their inevitable exalted eroticism. Male homosexuality is a prominent theme here, and Murdoch handles it in a very modern way. There is some inner turmoil in the characters, but the author does not endorse it, and the most well-adjusted among them are really quite fine. In other words, this is not Giovanni's Room, which was published only two years earlier. (This may have something to do with the fact that Murdoch was not a gay man, though she was certainly a woman-loving woman.)
Towards the end, the pace quickens, and there is a great deal of set-piece comedy, until the comedy fades away, and things return to seriousness. But the book始终保持着温暖、肯定和充满希望的氛围. If you are a religious person, or someone interested in religion, and perhaps also a queer person, you will find Murdoch's treatment of all these themes simply astonishing.