AN EXISTENTIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST INTERPRETATION OF CAUSALITY IN THE NOVELS OF I. MURDOCH

Abstract

The paper raises the problem of interpreting causation as one of the mechanisms through which determinism manifests itself and influences the narrative plot. With regard to the narrative structure of Iris Murdoch’s fiction, causality and chance are examined in their relation to literary eventfulness – this constitutes the aim of the study. The work outlines the concept of existential constructivism and identifies its key features: subjective decisions influence the course of events; chance is a natural element of existence; universal metaphysical determinism is not excluded. The research traces the similarities between the fictional ideas of Murdoch and the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre. The problem of free will is mainly discussed through the analysis of the novels The Sandcastle and An Accidental Man. The study also offers commentary on the typology of Murdoch’s characters: “the unfree hero”, “the freak” / “the eccentric”, “the alien”, “the magician” and “the witch”. Particular attention is paid to the type of the unfree hero, for whom existential experience is restricting: it manifests itself in indecision (metaphor of the strait-jacket), in the reliving of past mistakes, and in the expectation of retribution. The methods employed include philosophical, philological, and textual approaches.