The complete A to Z of the characters in Iris Murdoch's literary works.

"The scrupulous detail relating to the hundreds of characters who inhabit Iris Murdoch's twenty-six novels is not the only remarkable product of Boddington's A to Z. Its accomplishment also lies in an equally detailed knowledge of their historical, political, philosophical and cultural contexts. Access to this material will expedite and enrich future research into Murdoch's novels allowing more nuanced critical analyses of her complex narratives. The appearance of the A to Z comes at a fortuitious time in Murdoch scholarship, for this decade is the most fruitful yet with regard to fresh primary resource material that now includes forty years of Murdoch's personal journals. Boddington's itemizing of Murdoch's characters and their world, so lovingly detailed, is also a distinguished gift to Murdoch scholarship and together these research materials will invigorate Murdoch studies for decades to come. Indeed the significance of detail in understanding the truth of humanity is voiced by one of Murdoch's most truthful characters at the close of her first novel, Under the Net: an exasperated Hugo Belfounder attempts to enlighten the benighted Jake Donaghue by reminding him that it is not the application of all-encompassing theories to situations that leads to the perception of truth but detail, lovingly observed: 'God,' says Hugo, 'is detail. It all lies close to your hand'."

Anne Rowe, Universities of Chichester and Kingston. Author of many published books on Iris Murdoch and her works.