The Aesthetics Of Death In Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea

The Contemporary British writer Iris Murdoch's novel The Sea,The Sea,through portraying various death experiences,expresses authentic,introspective and diversified death.Death writing not only conveys the unique value expression for life,death,self,others,nature and society but also contains profound and abundant aesthetic connotation.The melancholic and mysterious beauty as well as profound and transcendental beauty are revealed in diverse death images.The aesthetics of death at home and abroad and Martin Heidegger's existentialist aesthetics are applied in the thesis to elucidate the theme on death and the philosophical and aesthetic meaning in the novel.The second chapter analyzes the melancholic beauty which is embodied in Clement's death and aunt Estelle's death.In this part,death is associated with love and tragedy.Clement is tormented by fatal illness and then withered to death.Her death resembles a beautiful flower gradually falling down.Death devastates her body and soul,exerting an overwhelming influence on her appearance and psychology.The ladies' soul is deeply immersed in melancholy and anguish.Charles shares the agony and torture with Clement,feeling sentimental and fear for losing lovers and life.Melancholic beauty is embodied through the sophisticated psychological description and lyrical expression.The sentimental beauty in aunt Estelle's death is expressed through vivid symbolism.Estelle in Charles' dream is dancing on a dark rotating gramophone record,turning and turning without stop.The complicated dream if full of intense and abundant symbolic connotation.The roundness and darkness of “the rotating dark record” indicates the black car which caused Estelle's death,which is actually a representation of death.“rotating record” insinuates that some music of lament is audible.“the torn paper” symbolizes the devastating power of death.The highly symbolic dream vision subtly displays the melancholic beauty from the perspective of vision,audition and action.Chapter three discusses the mysterious and profound beauty in the death of Titus and Charles.The horrible monster which Charles sees in the sea forebodes the imminent death,which is in line with Charles' dream vision.Charles catches sight of the painting of the monster,which is opposite Titus' portrait.The relationship between Titus and the sea monster is closely linked.Titus' tragic destiny is thus envisioned in Charles' dream.Titus' drowning at the prime of his age reveals the impermanence of life and unescapable predestination.Thus mysterious beauty of death is exhibited.Charles is pushed into the sea by his friend,which nearly kills him.In the critical moment of dropping,Charles iscaptured by an extreme despair and fear.For the first time in his life he deeply feels an individual's tininess and fragility in face of death.When opening his eyes and seeing the world and himself,he profoundly comprehends the authenticity and significance of existence.Even his breath becomes so cheerful.In the intense death experience Charles apprehends the meaning of existence.His rise from death offers him a chance to reconstruct himself and frees him from the spiritual predicament,embodying the profound beauty of death.The fourth part reveals the lofty and transcendental beauty embodied in James' death.James succeeds in saving Charles but fails to save Titus in the sea,which brings deep compunction to him.He is determined to start “a journey”,which indicates death.His death is peaceful and calm,which resembles an eminent monk's death.James' journey is an exploration on life,death,samsara and truth.He hopes to purify the soul and seek the truth in the death.The transcendental beauty is manifested from the perspective of thanatopsis and the death manner.On the other hand,James intends to atone for Charles' fault.Charles desperately wants to detain Titus out of his own purpose of winning Hartley's heart,which indirectly causes Titus' tragic death.James is clearly conscious of it is Charles' lust and selfishness that result in Titus' tragedy.Meanwhile he feels remorseful for not preventing the terrible consequence.James dies for human defects instead for his own desire.His death possess intense lofty and transcendental beauty.The melancholic beauty embedded in the death of Clement and Estelle demonstrates the eternity and abundance of human's spirit and soul.The mystery and profundity in the death of Titus and Charles efficiently promote people to hold more reverence for life and nature as well as urge them to concentrate more on existence.The transcendental beauty in James' death motivates people to shoulder the responsibility for self,others and the whole world,striving to set up a faith in the true,the good and the beautiful to live an ethical and dignified life and transcend the existing world with positive and optimistic thanatopsis.