In part one Iris Murdoch's work is set against its contemporary background. Her concept of Man, as seen both in her fiction and in her philosophical work, is discussed with special attention being paid to the influence of Plato, J.P. Sartre, Simone Weil, Gabriel Marcel and the linguistic philosophers. Murdoch's views on the Good, and on Love, Death and Art, her main agencies of the Good, are then dealt with in greater detail. In part two five novels, which are representative of her literary output, are examined in greater depth.