Iris Page #3

How's it coming along?

It's harder to write than all the others. Much.

Have you noticed?

Just that you've seemed...

puzzled every now and again.

That's it, yes.

Puzzled.

Puzzled. It's a funny word.

All words are like that

when you take them by surprise, aren't they?

Have you got a title?

'A lot of trees...

...seem near.'

We must stop it.

What to do?

The window, John, the window!

We must stop it.

No. See...

...it's gone.

We all worry about going mad, don'twe?

How would we know...

...those of us who live in our minds anyway?

Other people would tell us.

Would they, John?

I don't want to set the world...

Sorry.

...on fire.

John Bayley.

Haven't seen her for ages.

Jolly good -- nice.

Takes all sorts. Not that I ...

...we're all men at St Anthony's.

Do you like women?

I mean, do women like you?

You mean lesbians?

Yes.

Would it bother you if they did?

Oh no, the some thing happens with me.

With homosexuals, I mean.

And do you go to bed with them?

Lord no.

At the college... they are all,

as somebody once said to me...

..."Old fashioned lesbians of the highest type".

And do you go to bed with them?

-Dame Iris?

-Yeah.

It's this way.

She's written philosophy and plays and poetry...

...but her novels are her lasting literay legacy.

Iris Murdoch is acknowledged

as the foremost English novelist...

...of her generation.

A little excessive, don't you think?

What do you reckon, shall I take that again?

Her novels embrace the subjects of freedom...

...and what it means to be good.

And they're all studies

in the successes and failures of love.

She's written philosophy and plays and poetry...

...but her novels are her lasting literay legacy.

People, ofcourse,

are very secretive and for many reasons...

...want to appear what they call 'ordinary'.

Everybody has thoughts they want to conceal.

Perhaps even

quite simple aspects of their lives.

People have obsessions and fears and...

...and passions which they don't admit to.

I think any character

is interesting and has extremes.

it's a novelist's privilege to...

...see how odd everyone is.

In your novels you yourself...

...were very exacting your use of language...

...but in general terms, do you think

the language is becoming debased?

Reading and writing...

...and the preservation of language

and its forms...

...and...

...the kind of eloquence

and beauty that language is capable of...

...is something terribly important

to human beings...

...this is connected to thought.

If children are not taught...

What did you say? Did you ask...?

I was asking about the importance of language.

John.

John. John.

Iris?

John.

-Oh, you're there. I'm back.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes