The Black Prince's Bradley Pearson basically devotes his life to obsessing about things like creativity, literary production, authorial popularity, his writerly ambitions, and what it means to really be a writer. On top of that, the novel itself is also one epic "love song to Shakespeare"—or so its jacket-blurb proclaims—and Iris Murdoch packs its pages full of thought-provoking comments on literature, writing, creative inspiration, and the ecstasy that comes from worshiping the gods of the arts.
Yeah. This book treats literature as a pretty big deal.
Questions About Literature and Writing
- How does Bradley Pearson characterize Arnold Baffin's views as a writer? How does Arnold Baffin characterize his own views?
- How do Bradley Pearson's views on writing before his love affair with Julian Baffin compare to the views he holds by the time he writes his part of The Black Prince?
- What are Julian Baffin's views on literature and writing when she's in her twenties (according to Bradley Pearson, that is), and how do they compare to the views she espouses in her postscript?
Chew on This
Throughout The Black Prince, Bradley Pearson says that he believes in the spiritual and artistic value of silence, and yet the work itself is the product of Bradley's decision not to remain silent. Having to grapple with this fundamental contradiction is part of what it means to be an artist for him.
Throughout The Black Prince, Arnold Baffin's views on writing are often criticized and derided, and Arnold is characterized as an undisciplined writer who has neither the willpower, insight, nor understanding to commit himself to being a better artist. Still, Arnold's own views on writing suggest that he isn't that different from Bradley Pearson himself, and ultimately, Bradley's own decision to write and publish this book, despite its many imperfections, suggests that he isn't so very different from Arnold.