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Mary's Reviews > The Bell
The Bell
by
by
... he felt himself to be one of them, who can live neither in the world nor out of it.
In 1950s England it was illegal to be homosexual. In this novel it’s 1950s England and Michael is homosexual. He’s created a mysterious religious community nestled away in the secluded woods which also serves as storage space for his desires. But you really can’t hide from who you are, can you? And Dora, a young woman unhappily married to an older man, also starts to figure out that this kind of repression isn’t sustainable.
Those who hope, by retiring from the world, to earn a holiday from human frailty, in themselves and in others, are usually disappointed.
Love. There was a scene of absolute beauty where two people talk for hours as it turns to night and neither has noticed the room is suddenly dark. Where does that early love go? When does one cross the line from loving someone to possessing them? If only it would last...
The talk of lovers who have just declared their love is one of life's most sweet delights. Each vies with the other in humility, in amazement at being so valued.
There’s an overwhelming sense of dread building and when it comes it’s hardly surprising; people weren’t meant to be shut-in. Redemption comes clumsily, if at all.
This was my first Murdoch novel and I was impressed by the simultaneous torment and wit of her writing.
In 1950s England it was illegal to be homosexual. In this novel it’s 1950s England and Michael is homosexual. He’s created a mysterious religious community nestled away in the secluded woods which also serves as storage space for his desires. But you really can’t hide from who you are, can you? And Dora, a young woman unhappily married to an older man, also starts to figure out that this kind of repression isn’t sustainable.
Those who hope, by retiring from the world, to earn a holiday from human frailty, in themselves and in others, are usually disappointed.
Love. There was a scene of absolute beauty where two people talk for hours as it turns to night and neither has noticed the room is suddenly dark. Where does that early love go? When does one cross the line from loving someone to possessing them? If only it would last...
The talk of lovers who have just declared their love is one of life's most sweet delights. Each vies with the other in humility, in amazement at being so valued.
There’s an overwhelming sense of dread building and when it comes it’s hardly surprising; people weren’t meant to be shut-in. Redemption comes clumsily, if at all.
This was my first Murdoch novel and I was impressed by the simultaneous torment and wit of her writing.
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Yes, I read up a little about the laws when I finished this book. Thanks for your comment, Cecily!
Incidentally, homosexual acts were illegal in England beyond the '50s - until 1967. And yet by 2004, civil partnerships were legalised for same-sex couples, and since 2013, we've had full marriage equality.