The Bell

No rating yet

Series: Works by Iris Murdoch

Summary

The Bell is the fourth novel by the British novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch (1919–1999), first published in London by Chatto & Windus in 1958 and regarded as one of the representative works of her early mature period. The story is set in the Gloucestershire countryside of England: beside a convent called Imber, a group of lay people forming a secular religious community live a semi-retired communal life around the abbey, each with their own notions of faith, redemption, and a pure life. The community is preparing to welcome a newly cast bell as a public declaration of its existence; just then, the legendary old bell said to lie at the bottom of the lake is rediscovered, and the relationships and intentions of the group begin to shift. The visiting young woman Dora, the community's leader Michael, the returned Nick, the Oxford student Toby who longs to become a monk, the nuns, and the elderly abbess all find, amid the tangles of love, sex, jealousy, and self-deception, that faith cannot solve their moral problems for them. In a light, ironic tone that alternates comedy with gravity, Murdoch examines "the good" and "God," "freedom" and "bondage" within a single setting. The work is often called Murdoch's finest early novel: it has an almost Gothic skeleton of suspense, yet is filled with debates about ideas and desire, making it a good entry point into Murdoch's fictional world.

Editor's review

如果你只知道默多克写过《大海，大海》，那《钟》是补上她早期面貌的最佳一本。她25岁学哲学、后来在牛津教了二十年哲学，写小说时却从不说教——她让一群各怀心思的人挤在一座修道院旁边，让一口钟的得失牵动所有人的秘密与自尊，然后退到一旁看他们如何自我解释、自我辩解、自我欺骗。《卫报》说它「活泼又酸楚，温柔中带着俏皮的社会观察」；A.S.拜厄特在导言里点出，这是一部关于「会思考的人」的小说：人的念头和人的冲动一样，都会改变命运。它好读——有悬念、有场面、有笑点；也耐读——每一次人物的自我辩白，都在为默多克后来那套以「关注他人」为核心的道德哲学做注脚。放在战后英国小说的脉络里，它同时属于「愤怒的青年」的时代与牛津哲学的氛围；放在今天的书架上，它是一本关于自由与爱如何互相伤害、又如何在其中学习诚实的小说。

Who it's for

A good fit for

喜欢英国战后文学、想系统读默多克的读者
对小说与哲学、伦理学交界处感兴趣的读者
偏爱群像戏、乡村修道院背景与轻讽刺笔调的人
读过《黑王子》《大海，大海》后想回溯其早期风格的人

Not a good fit for

期待强情节、快节奏类型小说的读者
希望书中给出明确宗教答案或教义阐发的读者
不喜欢大量人物内心独白与观念对话的读者

Reading tips

先理清人物关系：团体成员、修道院一方、以及外来者三条线交错推进，画一张关系图会顺畅许多。
把「钟」当作核心意象读：新钟、旧钟与湖底的传说各自象征什么，是全书最值得玩味的部分。
不必急着评判人物，默多克笔下的人大多在自我美化，读到后段再回头核对他们的自述，会有另一层趣味。
可在读完后补读默多克《善与善》等哲学论述，理解她为何反复书写「看见他人」这件事。

FAQ

《钟》是默多克的第几部小说？写于哪一年？

《钟》是默多克的第四部小说，1958年由伦敦Chatto & Windus首次出版，篇幅约三百余页。她的前三部作品是《网之下》《逃离巫师》《沙堡》。

这本书有没有正式的中文译本？

目前未核实到已出版且可确认译者、书号信息的简体中文单行本，多数读者通过英文原版或收录该书的英文名著合集阅读。购买中文版前建议核对版权页信息，以免误购非授权读物。

没有哲学背景能读懂吗？

可以。小说本身有完整的故事情节和大量对话与场景，哲学讨论藏在人物的自我辩解里。具备基本的西方宗教常识（修道院、平信徒团体）即可顺利阅读，无需预先读默多克的哲学著作。

书名「钟」有什么特别含义？

钟在书中兼具宗教象征与世俗象征：新钟代表团体对自身存在的宣告，湖底古钟则牵连着修道院的传说与死亡预兆。两口钟的此消彼长，被普遍视为默多克用「善」取代「上帝」的隐喻。

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

艾丽丝·默多克 Author

Iris Murdoch is a British novelist known for her works of foreign literature, which are classified under foreign literature in the Chinese reading world. The library holds seven of her works, including The Sea, The Sea, The Black Prince, and The Unicorn. According to the library's records, these titles appear in multiple editions, indicating that her representative works continue to attract readers. Her writing generally revolves around human relationships, moral dilemmas, and self-knowledge; her plots carry a philosophical dimension, and her language is delicate, skillfully presenting the complex inner conflicts of characters within everyday settings. Public information about her life, education, and awards is limited, so no inferences are made here. Overall, Murdoch's works combine readability with intellectual reflection and offer a path toward understanding the moral and psychological themes of twentieth-century English literature.