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Bezig met laden... The Sandcastle (origineel 1957; editie 1978)door Iris Murdoch
Informatie over het werkOp zand gebouwd door Iris Murdoch (1957)
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After all, he thought, I can be guided by this. Let me only make clear what I gain, and what I destroy. My very first Murdoch exceeded all my expectations. I frankly hardly know where to start, or even what I want to say. Funny, suspenseful, a loud, relentless hymn of creation and destruction. Rarely does one see such brilliant harmony between plot, character development, and hard work on developing the underlying themes. (The word "themes", naturally, said in Stephen Fry's voice) There are so many things, subtle and not so subtle, that contribute to the way the story is put together perfectly...it feels like an extremely human, emotional text and an arcane treatise on wishing impossible things, both at the same time. In this way the book is much like a painting itself. I thought of the plot as a bit of a landslide - the worlds of adults, of children, the private and the public, rolling, sliding towards the point of no return, colliding, changing. Perhaps it is rather that we feel our own face, as a three-dimensional mass, from within - and when we try in a painting to realize what another person's face is, we come back to the experience of our own. Art and its creation (the debate on how to paint a face) are juxtaposed with the forces that make and break the life of the individual (how to treat other people, love, religion, scruples). Rain is to leave after she finishes the portrait - so decisions are to be made on both counts. Just like the commissioned portrait must be finished, so must the protagonists decide how they are to leave the stage and how much they are prepared to leave behind. Beautiful, descriptive, thrilling - a stroke of genius. Continuing my attempt to read all the Murdoch novels in chronological order, this is her 3rd book. It is more local and domestic than the previous two, but still has elements of magic. It is set in a school and is really just the cliched tale of a teacher falling in love with a young artist. But it's told so well, I love the characters, the situations and the balance between seriousness and farce. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
A sparklingly profound novel about the conflict between love and loyalty The quiet life of schoolmaster Bill Mor and his wife Nan is disturbed when a young woman, Rain Carter, arrives at the school to paint the portrait of the headmaster. Mor, hoping to enter politics, becomes aware of new desires. A complex battle develops, involving love, guilt, magic, art, and political ambition. Mor's teenage children and their mother fight discreetly and ruthlessly against the invader. The Head, himself disenchanted, advises Mor to seize the girl and run. The final decision rests with Rain. Can a "great love" be purchased at too high a price? Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)823.912Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1901-1945LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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Bill Mor is married to Nan, although whether it’s happily is debatable. They have two children, Donald and Felicity. Bill teaches History and Latin, although he is thinking of going into politics – against Nan’s wishes. So far, so boring. When his friend and the former headmaster of the school Demoyte contracts a young painter, Rain Carter, to paint his portrait, Bill is amused at first – and then in love, head over heels. This throws his entire life and that of his family in disarray.
The Sandcastle is beautifully written, but I struggled a lot with its subject matter. It has something of a Manic Pixie Dreamgirl Vibe (although it preceeds the naming of this trope by several decades) and I had trouble sympathizing with Mor and believing Rain’s response.
Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2023/01/28/the-sandcastle-iris-murdoch/ ( )