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Under the Net

by Iris Murdoch

370 · rating details · 1640 ratings · 143 reviews

Introduction by Kiernan Ryan

Iris Murdoch’s first novel is a gem – set in a part of London where struggling writers rub shoulders with successful bookies, and film starlets with frantic philosophers. Its hero, Jake Donaghue, is a likable young man who makes a living out of translation work and sponging off his friends. A meeting with Anna, an old flame, leads him into a ser...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published October 27th 1977 by Penguin Books Ltd (first published 1954)

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Aug 02, 2011

Max Nemtsov rated it

Shelves: ru-versions

первый роман айрис мёрдок считается философско-плутовским романом (с юмором), а советская критика (естественно) причислила его к образцам творчества "сердитых молодых людей" (потом, правда, русская несколько одумалась и теперь не причисляет его ни к чему).
на самом деле, это битницкий роман, только пересаженный на британскую почву: нормальный герой керуака (только чуть больше вписанный в социум и устроенный в жизни) попадает в мир примерно вудхауса и мотается не с одного края конт...moreпервый роман айрис мёрдок считается философско-плутовским романом (с юмором), а советская критика (естественно) причислила его к образцам творчества "сердитых молодых людей" (потом, правда, русская несколько одумалась и теперь не причисляет его ни к чему).
на самом деле, это битницкий роман, только пересаженный на британскую почву: нормальный герой керуака (только чуть больше вписанный в социум и устроенный в жизни) попадает в мир примерно вудхауса и мотается не с одного края континента на другой, а из лондона в париж и обратно, а также шляется по самому лондону и купается в темзе. вот такие в англии были бы битники: как джейк донахью. но там, как известно, битников не случилось, они случились в другом месте, и айрис мёрдок поставила эдакий трогательный и трепетный эксперимент, поэтому роман остался эдакой диковиной, а традиции, в общем, не породил. но все условия соблюдены, и книга действует на сознание точно так же, как романы керуака: на всю жизнь делает инъекцию тяги к свободе. только читать, естественно, ее нужно в правильном возрасте - где-то в районе 20-ти. именно тогда послушные мальчики и девочки становятся СМЛ, битниками, хиппи или панками.
перевод м.ф. лорие в общем хорош и годен, вопросы остались только к некоторым реалиям. купировали ли текст - не знаю, насквозь не проверял, но из русского издания убрано посвящение раймону кено, а оно бы многое объясняло(less)

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Aug 28, 2007

Daniel rated it

· review of another edition

It seems to me that most male authors have male central characters, and female authors female central characters, especially when the novel is in the first person. It also seems to me that female authors (in general) create more believable female central characters, and male authors (in general) more believable male characters, especially concerning central characters and particularly when in the first person narrative. This shouldn't be surprising. That said, this novel, for me, is the best ...more

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Dec 08, 2007

Trevor rated it

Shelves: literature

I loved this book. A first person narrative about a young man on a picaresque quest for love and friendship, with a good healthy dose of philosophy added in for good measure.

The part of the story that stays with me is the story around Hugo. I think I liked most the idea that a friendship might end on the basis of an assumed betrayal and that the betrayal is one of the spirit and not one that occurred at all. Although, that is an interesting question in itself - does the person we fe...more

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Jul 12, 2011

Charlie Rosenthal rated it

· review of another edition

Irish novelist Iris Murdoch's debut novel Under the Net is, at least in theory, one of those thrilling On the Road-style chronicles of youth spent without responsibility, thus creating interesting adventures populated by larger than life characters. However, what separates Under the Net from other, similar novels is, simply, that the characters are--with the exception of Jake--not interesting in the slightest. Murdoch spends a great fraction of the book explaining to the reader precisely why J...moreIrish novelist Iris Murdoch's debut novel Under the Net is, at least in theory, one of those thrilling On the Road-style chronicles of youth spent without responsibility, thus creating interesting adventures populated by larger than life characters. However, what separates Under the Net from other, similar novels is, simply, that the characters are--with the exception of Jake--not interesting in the slightest. Murdoch spends a great fraction of the book explaining to the reader precisely why Jake's friend Hugo is so interesting. This is mostly a fool's errand, as Hugo ends up sounding like some sort of tremendously boring armchair philosopher with views that I certainly could not reproduce. As with Hugo, the other key characters are boring, thin creatures with personalities that are told, not shown. While part of this is certainly a function of the frame of the novel--recollections by Jake upon these previous times--, there is no excuse for characters like Finn to get introduced by Jake with a long list of personality traits, not all of which really become apparent over the run of the novel. Additionally, the troubles that Jake encounters in Under the Net are generally so easily resolved as to be completely benign. Oh, he just got kicked out of his housing! Well, obviously, he won't actually spend much time homeless, because he's got vast wells of friendship to draw from, even if some of his friends don't particularly seem to like him all that much. Instead of suffering like Keep the Aspidistra Flying's Gordon Comstock--another ne'er do well with literary aspirations--, Jake's life is comparatively soft and cushy. Other than some very, very brief discussions of his financial insolvency, money is completely ignored, despite the fact that Jake has never held a job beyond writing and translating. Simply, as a comedic account of a struggling writer, Under the Net fails rather grandly, providing neither the expected laughs or the plot and character based hijinks should seemingly exist.(less)

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Jan 28, 2011

Ian Mapp rated it

This book was chosen from the overview provided in 20th Century British Authors on BBC 4. I liked the premise of a child like failed author (Jake) bumbling around London in the 1950's - sponging from his friends, a bizarre love square with the Quentin Sisters and Hugo. Each of them loves the wrong person.

The star of the book is 1950's London - the place names, pubs, coffee houses and the now obviously dated dialogues were a joy in the book. There are a couple of set pieces - like ...more

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Sep 02, 2010

Aly Lawson rated it

When I read this in college, our modern lit professor warned us against being hayseed critics. We need to have a basis for our criticism, a chunk of spoken reason, or text, behind our critiques and accolades of each book we read. Otherwise, we’ll end up looking like the foolish critic in Norman Rockwell’s painting, sucking on a strand of hay while we squint and furrow at a work of art still in progress...

By the time Murdoch’s book was that quarter assigned, I was trying hard not be cau...moreWhen I read this in college, our modern lit professor warned us against being hayseed critics. We need to have a basis for our criticism, a chunk of spoken reason, or text, behind our critiques and accolades of each book we read. Otherwise, we’ll end up looking like the foolish critic in Norman Rockwell’s painting, sucking on a strand of hay while we squint and furrow at a work of art still in progress...

By the time Murdoch’s book was that quarter assigned, I was trying hard not be caught with straw between my teeth as I read about a struggling writer. Iris was female. (She passed away only a few years before I read this first published novel of hers.) Her gender didn’t keep her from writing from a man’s perspective.

The author created a sparkling account of Jake Donaghue, the penniless artist who networks with an array of magnetic characters throughout London and Paris. Drifting through these quintessential corners of the world, Jake flirts with starlets, crosses bookies, and brainstorms about life with the eccentric. Rekindled love and episodes of the absurd burn and douse the pages; smoldering gems of satire and panache (too much?) reveal themselves en route to Jake's final philosophy on life. From page one, witty phrases made me smile, and this marvelous little world that was constructed never ebbs far from the insightful.

Virginia Woolf called novels “life escapes.” She continued, “and perhaps without life nothing else is worth while.” If we didn’t have existence in all its zaniness—all its pitch changes and scars—where would books take us? There would be nothing left to write about and no reason to read. Many people question writers, wondering how someone can have so much to say when most are running on fumes on page eleven. You see there’s no EMPTY line for the imagination when muse is life. Ms. Murdoch proves that there’s always something worth writing about. And always something worth experiencing, read or lived.

Read more at http://sideofhoneydew.blogspot.com.(less)

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Aug 08, 2010

Lydia Presley rated it

Shelves: 1001, 2010, fiction

It's always astonishing to me when I'm exposed to a book I would never have picked up and find myself lost in it, and that's the very reason I have been working my way through the 1001 Books list.

In UNDER THE NET Jake Donaghue is a failure of a writer, a bum, a leech on his friends and, despite being an adult, views the world almost as a child does. He never thinks an action through to the consequence, he treats his friendships lightly - taking them for granted or doing stupid, sill...more

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Jul 23, 2010

Joselito rated it

I am not really sure what was it in this novel that I felt almost nothing while reading it.

When Iris Murdoch tried to be funny, I felt no humor whatsoever. I saw her try to develop some complicated twists and turns, but I was never at the edge of my seat about anything. Her philosophical musings made me sleepy. Her attempt to put some romance into this made me yawn.

My copy of this book has an introduction by Kiernan Ryan who calls it a bold and brilliant debut by Murdoch....more

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Nov 09, 2009

Tim rated it

Jake, the protagonist, is an aspiring writer-gadfly who falls in with Hugo, a part-time philosopher/film producer of independent means. Jake is so impressed by Hugo's seemingly deep insight into the universe that he authors a high brow novel based on their late night kibitzing. The main character is a thinly disguised caricature of Hugo. When Hugo appears to grow distant and then suddenly fades from their social scene, Jake is convinced that his novel, albeit obscure, is the root of Hugo's disap...more

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Jun 02, 2009

Ivy's Mom rated it

Shelves: 1001-books, times_100_best, dogs

The more I think about Under the Net the more I like it. It has nice balance of quirky characters, a rollicking fun story, with a bit of sobriety thrown in. As the story progresses Jake matures and it is interesting to watch the transformation. The guy is a serious diaster in the beginning, but by the end I was certain he would get his act together.

The chapter in which Jake dog-naps Mars is hilarious! It could stand on its own as funny sketch comedy. I don't think I ever laug...more

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May 02, 2011

Maxym Karpovets rated it

Shelves: favorites, urban-culture

Глибокий та серйозний аналіз неможилво здійснити в межах цієї невеликої розвідки, тому спробую окреслити основні філософські риси першого роману [повісті] «Під сіткою» (Under the Net) (1954), який, на мій погляд, дає підстави говорити про сформований стиль автора і основи для експлікації як художньго мислення Мердок, так і специфічного світобачення письменниці. Звичайно, не менш важливі улюблений читачами і критиками роман «Чорний принц» (The Black Prince) (1973) і останній роман Айріс Мердок «Д...moreГлибокий та серйозний аналіз неможилво здійснити в межах цієї невеликої розвідки, тому спробую окреслити основні філософські риси першого роману [повісті] «Під сіткою» (Under the Net) (1954), який, на мій погляд, дає підстави говорити про сформований стиль автора і основи для експлікації як художньго мислення Мердок, так і специфічного світобачення письменниці. Звичайно, не менш важливі улюблений читачами і критиками роман «Чорний принц» (The Black Prince) (1973) і останній роман Айріс Мердок «Дилема Джексона» (Jackson’s Dilemma) (1995). По суті, ці три тексти охоплюють другу половину ХХ століття, а тому неминуче представляють собою різні тематичні та стилістичні пошуки в літературі цього періоду.

Тексти Мердок пронизані дискурсами, як багатошаровий пиріг. У свій час Малькольм Бредбері, відомий критик і цікавий письменник, вдало зауважив: «Вона справді серйозний письменник, проте її книги можуть і мають бути прочитані на різних рівнях, від найбільш метафізичного до найбільш романтичного і сентиментального; її різноманітні читачі таким чином можуть по-різному її конструювати, і вона, здається, постійно провокує переосмислити себе, пропонуючи їм чудову нагоду в можливому і в елементі несподіваного».
Синтез філософського світобачення та художнього мислення романіста в межах однієї творчої свідомості створив особливі труднощі як для самої письменниці, яка постійно рефлексувала над пропорціями філософії і белетристики у своїй творчості, так і для критиків. В романі «Під сіткою» ми поринаємо у світ складний, багатогранний і сповнений екзистенціальним переживаннями індивіда у сучасному світі. Перед нами шестидесяті-семидесяті роки – час змін і переоцінки цінностей. Молоді романтики дискутують про політику, культуру, прагнуть зняти буржуазний накип. Втім, спроба позбутись традиції часто перетворюється в безладне вештання містом, яке вже не приймає у свій космос тих, хто хоч раз оступився.

Особливим екзистенціалом для Мердок є любов, і, зрозуміло, нерозділена любов. Проте у письменниці ця нерозділеність не є не-відповідю на почуття Іншого, а не-видимістю почуттів і не-видимістю Іншого. В романі «Над сіткою» «усі герої пов’язані між собою невидимими ланцюжками своїх почуттів» . Ця не-видимість є значно глибшою, аніж задається на перший погляд. Можна сказати, що перед нами невидимість буття, тобто неспроможність побачити справжність речей. Це відсилає нас до феноменологічної традиції, але насамперед – до платонічної (зрештою, всі ми перебуваємо в цій традиції – нам дуже важко втіки від неї, якими б «сердитими» постмодерністами ми не були), що є цілком зрозуміло у випадку з Мердок. Мені видається, що платонізм для Мердок був набагато більш суттєвіший, аніж сучасні течії філософії. Про це згодом письменниця визнає в більш солідному віці, а поки вона позиціонує себе як філософ постсучасний із новомодними постсучасними тенденціями. Це й не дивно, оскільки практично вся тогочасна молодь в Оксфорді захоплювалась далеко на старомодними філософами і теоретиками, а тому на їх столах в гуртожитках частіше можна було помітити Людвіга Вігтенштейна і Фрідріха Ніцше, аніж Платона і Фому Аквінського.

Роман починається з того, що головний герой, Джейк Донаг’ю (юний письменник і перекладач французької, що закоханий у співачку з нічного бару Анну Квентін) блукає Лондоном , бо його вигнали із квартири. В процесі цього фланерування герой шукає житло, а насправді він шукає себе в цьому світі, намагається розгадати складну павутину людських стосунків, в епіцентрі якої опинився він сам. Джейк існує в специфічному середовищі людей, яке постійно даватиме про себе знати в романах Мердок. Це середовище філософів, письменників, артистів, богемних художників, вчених (по суті, таке ж саме, яке було в Мердок в часи її студенства). Однак це середовище замкнене у своїх концептам і теоріях (відлунням згодом стане роман «Вежа зі слонової кістки» Джона Фаулза), що створюють ілюзію життя, але зовсім не є останнім. Вони розуміють цей світ, але жити в ньому повноцінно не можуть. Зрештою, що взагалі жити повноцінно – на «повну катушку» як каже художник у вищезгадуваному романі Джона Фаулза?

Перед нами типовий індивідуалістський модерністський роман, зациклений на внутрішньому світі персонажа. Проте цей роман однозначно не назвеш ні екзистенціалістським (хоч він і є таким одночасно), ні абсурдним (і цим він є – Джейк так нагадує дивакуватих персонажів Беккета!), ні сюрреалістським (їм теж він є, бо часто події фокусуються на уявному, сюрреальному світі – не випадково Мердок присвятила роман Раймону Кене). Крім того, в романі настільки майстерно вибудовано структуру відносин між персонажами (сітка відносин), що місцями просто дивуєшся, як талановито це зробила Мердок. Доречно згадати слова Бахтіна, який, аналізуючи романи Достоєвського, помітив: «Немножинність характерів і доль в єдиному об’єктивному світі, в руслі однієї авторської свідомості розгортаються в його творах, а саме множинність рівноправних свідомостей із їх світами поєднуються тут, зберігаючи свою незлитність в єдності певної події» . Ця поліфонічність простужеється не тільки в романі «Над сіткою», а також в більш зрілому творі «Чорний принц», а також у «Відрубленій голові», «Дилеммі Джексона», «Єдинорозі» і, мабуть, в інших текстах теж.

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Jan 15, 2012

Kinga rated it

I wish goodreads widened its rating scale. My opinion of this book falls somewhere in the area between 'really liked it' and 'it was amazing'. It's a kind of 'really, REALLY liked it'.

I usually enjoy reading a novel's page on goodreads after finishing the book. Seeing my thoughts reflected in other readers' reviews gives me narcissistic pleasure and keeps at bay any urge to write my own. Today, however, I was bitterly disappointed - so many complaints against this marvelous piece! The ...moreI wish goodreads widened its rating scale. My opinion of this book falls somewhere in the area between 'really liked it' and 'it was amazing'. It's a kind of 'really, REALLY liked it'.

I usually enjoy reading a novel's page on goodreads after finishing the book. Seeing my thoughts reflected in other readers' reviews gives me narcissistic pleasure and keeps at bay any urge to write my own. Today, however, I was bitterly disappointed - so many complaints against this marvelous piece! The story is too chaotic, pointless, improbable, the other characters too flat and what's with this senseless philosophy entertained by Hugo and Jake?
I read those comments and could not believe what I saw. Somehow, those people managed to twist every single merit of the novel into vice. "Under the Net" they read is definitely NOT the one I read and liked so much. From my perspective, the narrative is elegant and gliding, with chaotic elements synthesised into a harmonious whole. The fantastic events seem only fitting for a protagonist constantly walking in his head in the clouds and expecting a thrill in every moment of his life. As for the flat characters, they owe their unreal quality to the way Jake denies them any importance or individuality outside of himself and manipulates their images to fit his own liking. This tendency is finally brought to light when we meet Hugo, who, as we realize, is not as Jake portrayed him.
Therefore, I was a little amazed when I read in one of the reviews: the the personality of some of the characters is not consistent throughout the book. For example, in the first few chapters, Hugo seems to be a serious philosopher mouthing profound long lines (...) Then towards the end of the novel, especially in the hospital runaway, this Hugo resurfaced and believe me that he speaks very plainly and almost always in one liner as if he is totally a different character Well, duh. That was the point. I think that most of those people who dissed the novel simply missed its point.
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Aug 07, 2010

Cindy rated it

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Recommended to Cindy by: Book club pick 7/15/10

Shelves: 1001-books, female-authors, fiction, book-club, british

Jake Donaghue is a lazy, mooching, failed writer. Under the Net is basically a free-flowing connection of his and his friends' antics in London and Paris. Under the surface is a commentary on language, and how words so incompletely convey ideas and rarely express the truth.

I almost abandoned this book up until the half-way mark. The only way I could describe it is vacuous: there just wasn't much there. I didn't hate it, but I just couldn't bring myself to feel anything towards ...more

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Nov 17, 2010

Kelsey rated it

Shelves: 20th-cent-novel

It was really interesting, it reads very much contemporary. The main character, Jake Donahue, sort of meanders through life, as a failed writer and living off of his many friends, but somehow everything seems to work out for him. He is impulsive, lazy, but has a particular charm about him that is obvious, due to the novel's first person narration.
He seems to me to be, as a character a sort of failed existentialist, in that he is impulsive and carries out many of his actions with little ...more

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Nov 09, 2011

Becky rated it

In a word: delightful. The book was Iris Murdoch's first and is a jaunty picaresque novel with a liberal sprinkling of philosophical musings throughout. The main character is a lazy, self-absorbed writer who can only be described as feckless (new favorite word?), and who spends his days bumming around London with his drunkard friends while double-crossing bookies, freeing patients from hospital wards, and crashing communist party rallies on movie sets. The philosophy bit comes in when several mi...more

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May 19, 2011

Ray rated it

This novel was very smart and witty. Jake is pushed out of his world of comfort, where he had been translating french dime novels instead of doing his own work, and, in a series of misadventures, tries to piece together the tattered remains of his relationships with several caricatures of London's intellectual elite. Novels of misadventure and wit are something I both immediately like and of which I am immediately skeptical. Wit poses the danger that there is no substance to the novel, but r...more

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Jun 23, 2010

Masanobu rated it

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Shelves: 1001-books, read-in-2010

I find hard to say what this book is about. There seem to be no plot, it's just a series of pretty normal situations turned comic and dream-like by chaotic misunderstandings and the weirdest logic. Nothing happens, really. However, this is one of the books I've enjoyed the most this year, because of (i)the exquisite prose and (ii) it's set in London, and I could feel every place described. I enjoyed this stroll with a nostalgic feeling.

The writing is delicate and tough at the same ti...moreI find hard to say what this book is about. There seem to be no plot, it's just a series of pretty normal situations turned comic and dream-like by chaotic misunderstandings and the weirdest logic. Nothing happens, really. However, this is one of the books I've enjoyed the most this year, because of (i)the exquisite prose and (ii) it's set in London, and I could feel every place described. I enjoyed this stroll with a nostalgic feeling.

The writing is delicate and tough at the same time, accurate and full of beautiful and original images, some of which I couldn't restrain myself from including in the review:

"An ever-increasing family of tabbies, sprung from one enormous matriarch, sit about upon the counter and on the empty shelves, somnolent and contemplative, their amber eyes narrowed and winking in the sun, a reluctant slit of liquid in an expanse of hot fur."

"There are some parts of London which are neccessary and others which are contingent. Everywhere west of Earls Court is contingent, except for a few places along the river. [...:] Being a philosopher, he [Dave:] is professionally concerned with the central knot of being, and not with the loose ends that most of us have to play with. Also, since he is Jewish he can feel himself to be a part of History without making any special effort. [...:] So Dave can afford to have a contingent address. I wasn't sure that I could."

"The contents of the room had a sort of strange cohesion and homogeneity, and they seemed to adhere to the walls like the contents of a half-empty jam jar. Yet here was evey kind of thing. It was like a vast toy shop that had been hit by a bomb."

"[...:]what an honest thing a firework was. It was so patently just an ephemeral spurt of beauty of which in a moment nothing more was left."

"The whole expanse of water was running with light. It was like swimming in quicksilver."

"They [the words:] turned over in the air slowly and then fell; and the splendour of the husky gold filled the shop, transforming the cats into leopards and Mrs Tinckham into an aged Circe."

"Events stream past us like these crowds and the face of each is seen only for a minute. What is urgent is not urgent forever but only ephemerally."

What I did not like about the book is that the almost impeccable writing struck me juvenile-ish, and I couldn't decide whether that was intended or not. The same happened with characterization - everyone was a little flat and shared a common voice. But I keep thinking that may be because we are reading the story told by our young unreliable narrator. I suppose I'll have to read another book by Murdoch.(less)

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Jan 18, 2011

FrankH rated it

Book Club Reading - 2010

As the first novel by Dame Iris, the comedy doesn't always come off, the story lacks a compelling narrative thread, and at the heart of it Jake Donaghue tells his story with a rambling, ruminating style that somehow distances rather than involves. Still, the unique style and substance of her writing, fully sharpened and matured in such books as The Word Child, The Book and the Brotherhood, and Message to the Planet, can also be seen in this seminal, lighter w...moreBook Club Reading - 2010

As the first novel by Dame Iris, the comedy doesn't always come off, the story lacks a compelling narrative thread, and at the heart of it Jake Donaghue tells his story with a rambling, ruminating style that somehow distances rather than involves. Still, the unique style and substance of her writing, fully sharpened and matured in such books as The Word Child, The Book and the Brotherhood, and Message to the Planet, can also be seen in this seminal, lighter work. Jake will be the first in a long line of characters who become obsessed with an idea, a lover, or an enterprise and then are shaken when events conspire -- with the shape-shifting magic of Murdoch's prose -- to take them in a different direction.

From where 'Net' began, the story too starts to tack to a different wind, say by Chapter Eight.

Jake impresses us initially as a kind of middle-brow layabout, with nothing more urgent than trying to make the rent and figure out his next paying gig as a translater of obscure texts. He seeks out the former girlfriend, Anna, and is drawn into a series of intrigues that find him swimming in the Thames, gambling on horse races and finally at the door of his old friend, Hugo, the retiring, laconic philosopher. Jake's obsession with re-connecting with Anna drives the story forward to the middle pages. But in the depiction of new and curious events that befall Jake -- not the least of which are the circumstances attending upon the stealing of the theater dog Mister Mars -- the story seems to morph into something more broadly comic, less personal; by the time we've reached the Casting Rally at Belfounder Studios, we have Murdoch working toward a Brit version of Screwball Comedy and it is very funny indeed. Murdoch, it seems to me, almost always builds incongruity into the scenes she has chosen to anchor her narrative. In the later novels, the incongrous elements assemble for dramatic effect; here the intent is farce. At Belfounder studio, , we have drinking-buddy 'Lefty' conducting a leftist political rally for toga-clad actors on a set of a soon to be deconstructed Ancient Rome; the arrival of the United Nationalists, the opposing right-wing group intent on breaking up the rally and whoever gets in its way; Jake, desperately trying to convey to Hugo how Anna's sister Sadie is plotting against him; Hugo, ready to detonate one of his bombs as a diversionary measure for escaping the pandemonium: 'A wild scene met our eyes, the crowd was ...split into a chaos of struggling groups..The whole mass swayed to and fro like a vast Rugby scrum...every now and then a man would leap from the scaffolding ...scattering friend and foe alike...in the distance, we could still see Lefty, mounted on his chariot, still gesticulating, his mouth opening and shutting, while round about him, as about the body of Hector, the battle raged..' And when Hugo's bomb detonates? 'The ground was strewn with legless torsos and halves of men and others cut off at the shoulders, all of whom, however, were lustily engaged in restoring themselves to wholeness by dragging the hidden parts of their anatomy out from under the flat wedges of scenery'. In the end it's a playing-dead-trick by headliner Mister Mars that gets Hugo and Jake out in one piece. 'A Canine Victim of Police Brutality', reads the caption in the morning newspaper.

I have often admired the way Murdoch technically foreshadows her highest drama with precise, evocative, possiblby painterly descriptions of the physical components of her stage, a garden, perhaps, the streetlights. In 'Net', the closest thing we get to this is the scene where Jake looks for Anna in Paris; 'On one side the Arc du Carrousel stood like an imagined archway, removed from space by its faultless proportions; and behind it the enorous sweep of the Louvre enclosed the scene, fiercely illuminated and ablaze with detail. On the other side began the unnatural garden with its metallic green grass under the yellow lamps and its flowers self-conscious with colour and quiet as dream flowers which can unfold and be still at the same moment....' And indeed, the tone of the writing shifts back to drama and emotional obsession: 'This was a rendezvous. My need of her drew me onward like a physical force. Our embrace would close the circle of the years and begin the golden age. As the steel to the magnet, I sped forward.' But Jake's Anna is someone else; the circle is not closed and it's not very long until we're thrust into more comic mayhem -- sneaking Hugo out of the Hospital

I enjoyed this book. I am looking forward to the time when I can start re-reading her more ambitious novels.

(less)

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Feb 21, 2011

Vania Melamed rated it

I couldn't finish the Macedonia book; for once, I needed a break from non-fiction. But Murdoch's dark humor in Under The Net is just the reprieve I needed. Follow a lazy socialist intellectual through England and France during the 1930s, and enjoy the ridiculousness of his troubles as he stalks a former girlfriend (a singer turned mime-actress) and a former best friend (socialist philosopher-turned-film-producer/director) for no definite reason other than on impulse. If you're a dog-lover or ...more

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Aug 12, 2010

Jenna rated it

I didn't really like the book. I don't feel qualified to rate it on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, because it really was not my cup of tea. I don't think I have liked any book written as a monologue. I spend too much time second guessing the narrator and wondering what really happened and what does it really mean. It just makes it much harder for me to follow the story and get the points the author is trying to make.

Second, I had a hard time identifying with Jake. I couldn't understand why...more

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Oct 02, 2010

Mark rated it

Shelves: time-100, tickles-the-funny-bone, british-innit

You never really know what you're going to get from some of these Time 100 books. For Under the Net, that was more true than most, because I was reading an old bound copy that didn't even have a jacket to give a cover blurb. Thus it was to my great surprise that this novel turned out to be quite a hilarious journey through one man's life that starts solely because he gets kicked out by an ex-girlfriend. In a whirlwind where he seeks out old friends and makes new, armed only with what he believes...more

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Feb 10, 2009

Jan rated it

Shelves: favorite-authors, fiction

Jake Donaghue, garrulous artist, meets Hugo Belfounder, silent philosopher.

Jake, hack writer and sponger, now penniless flat-hunter, seeks out an old girlfriend, Anna Quentin, and her glamorous actress sister, Sadie.

He resumes acquaintance with formidable Hugo, whose 'philosophy' he once presumptuously dared to interpret. These meetings involve Jake and his eccentric servant-companion, Finn, in a series of adventures that include the kidnapping of a film-star dog and a ...more

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Jul 10, 2010

K.D. rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: Time 100 Best Ever Novels; 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006-2010)

Shelves: 1001-core

This is my 2nd book by Dame Iris Murdoch (1919-1999). I read her 1978 Booker Prize winner The Sea, The Sea last year first because it is both included in the 501 Must Read Books and 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I liked it so much that I started reading this novel with high expectations. Also, this novel Under the Net is my 29th book included in the TIME Magazine's 100 Best Novels. The Sea, The Sea is not in that list.

Well, TIME's Richard Lacayo (one of those, the other be...more

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Mar 08, 2011

'jean rated it

· review of another edition

It was good, but not what I expected. I thought this book sounded interesting based on Book Lust, but I am finding that when I have raised expectations of something, I end up having mixed feelings about it. The story has great character development and some interesting philosophy, but I thought I was going to be reading a mystery. It would have been an interesting book for my book club, but one of our rules, is that enough copies must be available at the local library, and the large print edi...more

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Jul 28, 2010

Emily rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 1001

I loved this book. I found it to be brilliantly funny. After reading several books where at the end I thought "What was the point?", "Under the Net" was extremely refreshing. The novel has a bit of mystery to it, so it is hard to see where Murdoch is taking her characters until the end is reached. Not until the end do you understand how Jake, Hugo, Sadie, and Anna are all wound together and how important it is for Jake to unwind their stories in order to move forward in his o...more

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Jan 10, 2012

Fabian rated it

The cocky narrator of "Under the Net" is precisely what antiheroes are made of. Roaming the streets of London like a vagabond (though money frequently touches his hands) and interacting with vile people, THIS is a perpetual ode to laziness, exactly the type of thing to spark my particular interest. The story is organic, its flow is envious: few writers can get away with such subtle themes and sensual undertow. It is eerie, weirldy and mysteriously symbolic. A more faithful rendition of...more

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Jan 05, 2012

Salma rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

تدور الرواية حول جيك و هو مؤلف و صحفي يعيش حياة فوضوية متبطلة، لا تلوي على شيء و لا حتى للشهرة و المال، أشبه بالريشة التي تستسلم للريح و لتأخذها حيثما شاءت، و حول بعض الأحداث التي حصلت له في فترة من فترات حياته مع أصدقائه، و خاصة هوجو، الرجل غريب الأطوار الذي يعيش فلسفته الخاصة، لدرجة التخلي عن ثروته أكثر من مرة لأجل فكرة... و الكثير من النقاش و الحوار حول عدد من القضايا... و الكثير من ضمير الأنا للراوي جيك و عالمه الداخلي و تبصر في تحليل نفسه و مشاعره و تناقضاته...0
ليس هناك من أحداث لا مأل...moreتدور الرواية حول جيك و هو مؤلف و صحفي يعيش حياة فوضوية متبطلة، لا تلوي على شيء و لا حتى للشهرة و المال، أشبه بالريشة التي تستسلم للريح و لتأخذها حيثما شاءت، و حول بعض الأحداث التي حصلت له في فترة من فترات حياته مع أصدقائه، و خاصة هوجو، الرجل غريب الأطوار الذي يعيش فلسفته الخاصة، لدرجة التخلي عن ثروته أكثر من مرة لأجل فكرة... و الكثير من النقاش و الحوار حول عدد من القضايا... و الكثير من ضمير الأنا للراوي جيك و عالمه الداخلي و تبصر في تحليل نفسه و مشاعره و تناقضاته...0
ليس هناك من أحداث لا مألوفة، فالرواية هذه ليست قائمة على الحدث الغريب بالشكل الأساسي، و لا حتى على اللغة الشاعرية، و لكنها أقرب لتكون رحلة نفسية للبطل، و رؤية هذا النوع من الشخصية البوهيمية التي تميل للتنظير و الانفصال عن الواقع و كيف تتعامل مع الحياة الواقعية... و من خلالها تقرأ الكثير من الحوارات الذكية و النظرة المتعمقة للكون و لكثير من أمور الحياة، بحيث تشعر أن كل شيء ممكن فلسفته حتى الألعاب النارية... و في النهاية قامت المؤلفة بتمرير الحل، الحل الذي يساعد هذه الشخصية على أن تضبط نفسها فلا تجنح للعدمية المطبقة، من خلال اكتشافه أن العمل اليدوي و رؤية انجازه رأي العين، يفيد في توازنه، لأن العمل الذهني المحض يترك في المرء احساسا بأنه لم ينجز شيئا... نهاية جعلتني أبتسم و أتذكر الأستاذ الذي ذكر لي هذه الفكرة ذات مرة على سبيل النصيحة...0

لن أدعي أن الرواية تحفة أدبية، أو ربما تكون، لست متأكدة تماما لأني قرأتها في مزاج سيء جدا، و لكنها مع ذلك أمتعتني بجملها الحاذقة و المتبصرة، و بأسلوب معالجة كل هذه الأفكار الذهنية بطريقة مسلية لم يتسرب الملل خلالها إلي أبدا، و بأسلوب لا يخلو من ظرف بحيث لم أشعر بالانقباض... و حقيقة من أكثر ما لفت نظري و أعجبني أنه من النادر لي أن أقرأ لامرأة تفكر أو تكتب هكذا...0

و في النهاية، الشكر طبعا للزميل الذي نصحني بالرواية و قال أنها ستعجبني، فما كنت لأقدم من نفسي على شرائها، إذ أن دار الآداب لا تتخلى عن عادتها من إخراج كتبها بهيئة تعسة بحيث أنك لا تصدق أن غلافا غبيا كهذا الغلاف يحوي كل هذا العمق و الذكاء خلفه... 0(less)

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May 16, 2010

Tyler rated it

Recommends it for: Anyone

The Bad: The protagonist is lightweight and the plot much too unlikely for me to sympathize as a reader needs to do. The narrator’s register was somewhat high and childlike, so his voice felt mismatched. The plot lacked suspense. It needed more action and less thinking. The writing is merely amusing in places where I think Murdoch intended it to be hilarious.

The Good: The prose is excellent, beginning to end. The author adds nice philosophical touches that make the story unusually ...more

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Jun 04, 2009

Susan rated it

Shelves: 1001-books-list

I expected this to drag and it didn't. Maybe it was the weather or the old cloth binding of the book, but it made me nostalgic for summer days as a little girl reading with my grandma.

It is good lit. It has enough twists and turns to keep my interest without boring me or making me wish to be done. In fact I'm kinda sad that I already offered this to someone because I'd like to read it again.

There's quite a bit about love and loss and living your own life; a fair amount of...more

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Aug 13, 2010

Jay rated it

It has been a long time since I read a book that made me get out a pen and mark passages that I want to remember later, but I marked up this book. This is the first book I've read by Iris Murdoch and I was very impressed. So many of the reflective moments really seemed important to me -- not just important thoughts within the story, but important thoughts for me to think in my life.

In this story, found the main character very interesting and the plot events compelling. I cared a lot...more

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About Iris Murdoch

Dame Jean Iris Murdoch

Irish-born British writer, university lecturer and prolific and highly professional novelist, Iris Murdoch dealt with everyday ethical or moral issues, sometimes in the light of myths. As a writer, she was a perfectionist who did not allow editors to change her text. Murdoch produced 26 novels in 40 years, the last written while she was suffering from Alzheimer d...more

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Trivia About Under the Net

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Quotes from Under the Net

“I hate solitude, but i'm afraid if intimacy. The substance of my life is a private conversation with myself which to turn into a dialogue would be equivalent to self-destruction. The company which I need is the company which a pub or a cafe will provide. I have never wanted a communion of souls. It's already hard enough to tell the truth to oneself.” — 22 people liked it

“For most of us, for almost all of us, truth can be attained, if at all, only in silence. It is in silence that the human spirit touches the divine.” — 6 people liked it

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