4th International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities, Skopje, Macedonia, 12 June 2021, vol.1, no.1, pp.156
One of the most
prominent figures in British literature, Iris Murdoch (1919-1999) has left an
indelible stamp on world literature with her philosophically enriched novels
such as The Sacred and Profane Love
Machine (1974), A Word Child
(1975), or Henry and Cato (1976).
Yet, her novel The Black Prince (1973)
has been accepted as her most applauded one. The novel, which is certainly
marked by postmodern elements, is about Bradley Pearson, an ageing writer who
falls in love with a young woman. In the middle of his solitary existence, he
becomes suffocated by various events and people who try to occupy his personal
space. This study is going to analyze Murdoch’s The Black Prince in terms of its resemblance to our current
condition under the stress of pandemic. Similar to Bradley’s instant encounter
with several problems the solutions to which he does not know, we came face to
face with the problem that we don’t know how to react to. However, similar to
Bradley, who has to find some kinds of answers to the questions bothering him,
we are expected to fight back and survive in today’s condition. The study will
conclude that as human beings living in an uncertain and unpredicted universe,
we have to adapt ourselves to every situation in order to survive.