The Influence of the Writings of Simone Weil on the Fiction of Iris Murdoch

Examines the conceptual parallels concerning selflessness, knowing the void, and degrees of attention in Weil’s and Murdoch’s moral philosophy, and considers how these concepts find expression in Murdoch’s fiction. The study discusses similarities in their backgrounds; uses psychoanalytic theory to examine selflessness, the void, and destabilized identity in the novels; and concludes with a discussion of their moral philosophy which underwrites traditional feminine roles within Western culture while implying radical changes for masculine roles.