On Thursday, Oct. 21 at the James A. Tuttle Library in Antrim, from 2 to 3 p.m., the Antrim Eclectic Book Club will discuss Under the Net by Iris Murdoch. In 2005, Under the Net was chosen by Time magazine as one of the one hundred best English-language novels since 1923. The Modern Library also named this work as one of the greatest English-language novels of the20th century.
Under the Net is the account of how a young, floundering writer navigates his way through 1950’s London.
The following questions will help structure the conversation:
1. Isn’t Jake Donoghue, the narrator and lead character, a perfectly awful person? Does he have any redeeming qualities? Does he exhibit any personal growth?
2. Is this book anything more than an account of the misadventures of a debauched, self-absorbed narcissist? What lessons is Murdoch trying to teach?
3. How does Murdoch illustrate the idea that human beings cannot communicate their deepest emotions? Must our underlying emotions remain trapped “under the net” of language?
For more, email coordinator Steve Ullman at stephenhullman@gmail.com.