The Black Prince (novel)
First edition
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| Author | Iris Murdoch |
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| Cover artist | Christopher Cornford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
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Publication date
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Feb 1973 |
| Pages | 363 |
| ISBN | |
The Black Prince is Iris Murdoch's 15th novel, first published in 1973. The name of the novel alludes mainly to Hamlet.
The Black Prince is remarkable for the structure of its narrative, consisting of a central story bookended by forewords and post-scripts by characters within it. It largely consists of the description of a period in the later life of the main character, ageing London author Bradley Pearson, during which time he falls in love with the daughter of a friend and literary rival, Arnold Baffin. For years Bradley has had a tense but strong relationship with Arnold, regarding himself as having 'discovered' the younger writer. The tension is ostensibly over Bradley's distaste for Arnold's lack of proper literary credentials, though later the other characters claim this to be a matter of jealousy or the product of an Oedipus complex. Their closeness is made apparent from the start of the book, however, as Arnold telephones Bradley, worried that he has killed his wife, Rachel, in a domestic row. Bradley attends with his former brother-in-law, Francis Marloe, in tow. Together they calm the injured Rachel and restore peace to the Baffins' household.
Yet Bradley begins to get trapped in a growing dynamic of family, friends, and associates who collectively seem to thwart his attempts at achieving the isolation he feels necessary to create his 'masterpiece'. His intervention in the Baffins' marriage, for instance, prompts Rachel to fall in love with him. His depressed sister, Priscilla, leaves her abusive husband, demanding that her brother shelter her. The Baffins' young daughter, Julian, declares her admiration for Bradley and begs him to tutor her. Even Christian, Bradley's ex-wife, invades his life by seeking to repair their long-defunct relationship.
Bradley attempts to navigate these complications with mixed success. His inability to reciprocate Rachel's affections ultimately defuses their affair. She agrees, much to Bradley's satisfaction, to be no more than his friend. Christian meanwhile starts an affair with Arnold, drawing her attentions away from Bradley. Indeed, Arnold informs Bradley that he intends to leave Rachel for Christian. Yet Bradley fails to give proper attention to Priscilla, who pathetically alternates between despair and hysterical optimism. Only Francis remains a constant annoyance; the former psychoanalyst is implicitly in love with Bradley.
During this time, however, Bradley cannot escape falling in love with Julian. He privately vows never to confess or seek to realise this love, but he cannot contain himself. He promptly blurts it out to Julian herself, and the two embark on a brief, intense affair. He steals away Julian to a rented sea-side cottage to evade Rachel and Arnold, who both condemn the relationship. But he also neglects pressing needs at home. Priscilla, left without any companions, commits suicide; Bradley nonetheless postpones returning. He feels that the news would destroy any romantic connection between him and Julian. When Arnold arrives, enraged, to collect his daughter, however, he turns this deception against Bradley. Julian is visibly disturbed, and she promises to return home the next day. Yet Julian vanishes in the night—in Bradley's mind, at least, Arnold has taken her off and hidden her against her will.
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