Facing The Other: Ethical Reconstruction Of Self In Iris Murdoch's Novels

Iris Murdoch's novels focus on the ethical plight and moral perfection of the individual.This thesis,under the framework of Levinas' s ethics based on the face of the other,combining Murdoch's ethical claims,aims to make an interpretation,through detailed analysis of the self-other relationship in The Sea,The Sea and The Black Prince,on the ethical reconstruction of self,illustrating how the self escapes from the ethical plight of egoism by accepting the ethical call from the other and thus acts in response to the other to achieve the ethical reconstruction in a face-to-face relationship.The thesis consists of three parts—the introduction,the body and the conclusion.The main body of the thesis is composed of three chapters.The introduction part firstly presents the major literary achievements of Iris Murdoch as well as her moral thoughts on self-perfection.Then,studies abroad and at home are illustrated in detail,on the basis of which the research questions are put forward.Chapter 1 expounds the three modes of egoism and the roots in The Sea,The Sea and The Black Prince from the perspectives of textual analysis and narrative analysis,thus explores the obstacle for the ethical reconstruction of self.Chapter 2 firstly introduces Levinas' s ethics of the other.Combined with the ethical appeal and ethical order in the face of the other,as well as Murdoch's philosophical concept of “contingency”,this chapter provides an exhaustive elaboration on the ethical awakening of self,and further emphasizes the crucial role of the ethical call from the other.Chapter 3 elucidates the ethical response of self to the other under the framework of ethics of the other,and reveals that the self can accomplish an ethical transformation by the means of responsibility for the other,surrender to the other and acceptance of the other's alterity,thus achieving the ethical reconstruction.This thesis concludes that Iris Murdoch is closely concerned about the moral perfection of self.She depicts thoroughly in her novels the ethical plight of egoism as well as the vital function of the other's ethical call,and indicates that in a face-to-face relationship with the other,the self can be transformed from an egoist into a subjectivity with ethical consciousness through the response of being responsible for the other,surrendering to the other,and accepting the alterity of the other so as to achieve the ethical reconstruction.