Listening to Iris Murdoch

"Listening to Iris Murdoch’s focus on the sonic, which in literary criticism is often treated like a poor relation to the visual, is most welcome. Through perceptive close readings, Gillian Dooley uses the lens of music, sound and silence to draw out gender, sexuality, Irish politics, domestic conflict and much more in Murdoch’s novels. It will delight Murdoch fans but will also be of great interest to those who are attentive to sound studies and the relationship of music to literature."

—Hazel Smith, Author of The Contemporary Literature-Music Relationship, Emeritus Professor, Writing and Society Research Centre, Western Sydney University

"In this sensitive and insightful analysis of music and Iris Murdoch, Gillian Dooley certainly broadens the field of Murdoch scholarship but also demonstrates the rich and beautiful possibilities when one opens one's eyes, heart, mind and ears to the lyricism, musicality, and silences in Murdoch's work."

—Lucy Bolton, author of Contemporary Cinema and the Philosophy of Iris Murdoch (2019)

When we think of Iris Murdoch’s relationship with art forms, the visual arts come most readily to mind. However, music and other sounds are equally important. Soundscapes – music and other types of sound – contribute to the richly textured atmosphere and moral tenor of Murdoch’s novels. This book will help readers to appreciate anew the sensuous nature of Iris Murdoch’s prose, and to listen for all kinds of music, sounds and silences in her novels, opening up a new sub-field in Murdoch studies in line with the emerging field of Word and Music Studies.


This study is supported by close readings of selected novels exemplifying the subtle variety of ways she deploys music, sounds and silence in her fiction. It also covers Murdoch’s knowledge of music and her allusions to music throughout her work, and includes a survey of musical settings ofher words by various composers.