Favorite Moments in Under the Net

glenl — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 06:31:27 +0000

I suppose it is never too late to start a post for preserving interesting passages in a book. This short phrase on page 167 makes me smile:

In a sense it could be said that the ice was broken between us. But it is possible to break the ice without burying the hatchet.

I am confident my writing instructor would have circled that one.

Under the Net by Iris Murdoch

glenl — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:49:19 +0000

When considering book titles great restraint must be used, especially in an era where WikiPedia and google are just a mouse click away. So before we read too many words of it let’s consider the title, Under the Net. You do realize the quality of the clues we are given? It’s a comic novel about work and love, wealth and fame (from the cover), a winner says Kingsley Amis, and the summary on the back probably gives up most of the characters. As clues go these suck.

It is clear that I have no idea yet what Murdoch means by Under the Net. I will claim insufficient information. Most likely she is talking about a cast net and not a trammel (since it is not called through the net) or a seine (since it is not called in the net.) The title is doing its work; I must read to find out if Jake Donaghue, the garrulous artist, escapes or becomes entangled.

I did not know who Raymond Queneau was before reading the dedication and so I have an early gift from this book.

glx » Under the Net

Favorite Moments in Under the Net

Under the Net by Iris Murdoch