The Bell (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

A universe of laymen has created itself to surround an enclosure of Benedictine nuns, and in this universe two forces of nature dominate. There is Michael, the leader and creator of this community whose Christian faith is fuelled by his homosexuality. And then there is Dora Greenfield, a temporary import to the community, but whereas Michael is the obvious anchor and bedrock Dora is very much the fleeting and floating butterfly.Both Michael and Dora are entirely flawed and delightful characters. There's something enormously noble about Michael, but there's also something fundamentally flawed about him as well. Michael finds himself drawn to serve an order of nuns when he is fired from a private school for having a homosexual affair with an underage student, an event that still lingers with lust in his heart many years after the fact -- in seeking negation he is also seeing absolution and redemption, something that he struggles for throughout the book.There is in fact nothing noble about Dora. She is young and pretty, and thus flaky and flighty. As a mediocre and poor art student she chose the wise and practical course of marrying a wealthy scholar thirteen years her senior, a wise and practical decision that would end up tormenting her so much that she would leave him to start an affair before, at the beginning of this book, deciding to return to him. She is hopelessly silly and aimless, though she is saved and redeemed not by her belief in God, which does not exist, nor by her love, which does not exist either, but simply by the fact that she cannot remember anything she's ever done and that she has more or less accepted the fact that she'll never change her ways. Despite her obvious and appalling flaws Iris Murdoch has infused her with a spirit and an obliviousness that makes Dora very attractive -- and we can see why Paul Greenfield, a stern and severe scholar who has absolutely no patience for Dora's ditziness and dalliances would be madly irrevocably in love with her.If Michael's arrival would herald the birth of the religious community, Dora's arrival would mark its death. And the characters who come to the community leave very much the same way they came. Michael would find a new cause to capture his religious fervor, and Dora would continue her wandering."The Bell" is simply a delight to read -- gorgeous prose, compelling characters, and wickedly funny.

Masterfully written, with passages of both screwball comedy and aching poignancy. The book's religious and moral symbolism are highly developed; some of its minor characters are less so. The interior monologues of the major characters, however, render brilliantly the contradictions and well-meant self- deceptions all humans embody. Bittersweet ending. A good choice for literature lovers in the Catholic & Anglican traditions.

This profound and haunting novel features Murdoch's unique blend of religious preoccupations, sexual politics, and philosophy (or, as she more accurately referred to it elsewhere, "moral psychology")--but, in spite of its many-layered symbolism, it still manages to be surprisingly suspenseful. If you've never read a book by Iris Murdoch and are interested in finding a good place to start, read "The Bell."A sort of psychological detective novel, the story is told through the eyes a leader of a lay religious community who is haunted by secrets from his past and also from the perspective of two visitors: a carefree woman returning to her boorish husband who is studying at a nearby convent and an innocent youth hoping to be inspired by the community's spiritual atmosphere before he goes to Oxford. The plot revolves around a bell missing for centuries and the community's plans to replace it with a new one, but I will say nothing else that might give it away.The first half of the book is a very British comedy of manners (and it is at times very funny), but then things get out of hand when the two visitors, both knowingly and unwittingly, set into motion a series of tragic events that shatter the faith and foundations of the group. Although I was constantly surprised by the book's twists and turns, when I finished the novel I felt that all the events were very nearly pre-ordained by the actions and ethics of its characters.Murdoch's genius is her ability to pose many complicated questions and provide just enough for readers to decide for themselves. Are the visitors responsible for destroying the community's equanimity or were they simply the catalyst that exposed the hypocrisies and self-centeredness of the commune's members? Must a person transcend selfishness in order to influence others for the better? Does it take tragedy to bring out the best in people? Is it ever really possible to wall oneself away from the rest of the world?It seems almost incidental in this day and age to acknowledge that the novel portrays two gay men in a sympathetic manner astonishing for a book published in 1958--yet another aspect that displays the power and forwardness of Murdoch's thinking.

Book for my book group

An interesting read, the book was recommended by one of my favorite authors. A look into the different perspectives of all the characters was interesting. I enjoyed the book.

Il pacchetto è arriva piegato e anche il libro di conseguenza risultava piegato, ma è stato possibile fare scomparire quasi completamente la piega mettendo il libro sotto un peso. Devo segnalare inoltre, anche se questo non dipendere da Amazon , la cattiva qualità della stampa del libro, decisamente sbiadita, con difficoltà di lettura.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It’s a slow gentle read, a lesson about how we humans try to escape ourselves and learn that it is not possible. A group of souls together, all damaged in some way, find each other and answers to their own life’s questions.

I am a great fan of Iris Murdochs novels, and this one is indeed very good. One is quickly captivated in the spiritual, moral and physical turmoils of the surprising cast of characters, and the beautiful setting is as usual very proper to the eerie developments that Iris Murdoch cherishes.... If you enjoy Murdochs novels, this one will please you very much! Quite good for a Murdochs beginner, the deep running themes are less complicated than in other novels here.