Iris Murdoch and the Western Theological Imagination

Scholarly interest in theological aspects of Murdoch’s fiction and philosophy took off slowly. It was thirty years after her writing debut that the first work taking detailed notice of the theological language deployed by this overtly-atheist author appeared, and it was a further decade before theologians began to engage with Murdoch’s work together. But it was not until the twenty-first century that this aspect of Murdoch’s thought and imagination began to receive sustained attention. This collection seeks to build on this foundation, begun forty years ago, and to expand the work in this area of Murdoch studies which has lately been gathering momentum. This project consolidates earlier discussion of the vital part theology plays in Murdoch’s thought, and then takes the debate in new directions. Contributors include a wide range of current Murdoch scholars from diverse disciplines who develop debate about this subject in a variety of innovative and fruitful ways, to inspire future works in this area of Murdoch studies.

Miles Leeson is Director of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre at the University of Chichester and Senior Lecturer in English Literature. He is also Visiting Research Fellow at Kingston University.

Frances White is Deputy Director of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre and Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Chichester.