The Transformation of Existential Thought in British Literature: Iris Murdoch's Philosophical Humanism and the Reinterpretation of Freedom

This article analyzes the interpretation and artistic representation of existentialism in British literature throughthe works of Iris Murdoch. While French existentialism, particularly the ideas of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus,emphasizes alienation, freedom, and the absurd, Murdoch reinterprets these concepts within moral and aesthetic dimensions.In her novels Under the Net, The Bell, and The Black Prince, existential anxiety is transformed into moral awarenessand the search for meaning through love, attention, and ethical responsibility. Murdoch’s oeuvre is assessed as avivid expression of the transition from existential philosophy to humanism, and from the notion of absolute freedom tomoral responsibility.