Bruno's Dream
Encyclopedia
Bruno's Dream is a 1969 novel
by Iris Murdoch
. Set in London
it tells the story of a dying man called Bruno and his family. Narrated in the third person that allows for multiple character perspectives it follows Bruno, Bruno's son Miles, Miles' wife Diana and her sister Lisa, Bruno's son in law Danby, Bruno's nurse Adelaide, Nigel (the messianic
figure consistently found in Murdoch's novels) and Nigel's twin brother, Will. The novel ends with all the different people coupling up in ways you would not expect.
Couples:
Miles and Parvati (1st wife), Miles and Diana (2nd wife), Miles and Lisa (Diana's sister) they love each other but never get together.
Danby and Gwen (1st wife and Bruno's daughter), Danby and Adelaide (his maid/mistress), Danby and Diana- they go dancing once and he proposes an affair, but it doesn't come to fruition. Danby and Lisa (they end up together at the end of the novel.
Bruno and Janie (his wife), Bruno and Maureen (his mistress).
Will and Adelaide (cousins)
In the end the couples are Miles and Diana, Danby and Lisa, Bruno and Diana, and Will and Adelaide.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Iris Murdoch
Iris Murdoch
Dame Iris Murdoch DBE was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about political and social questions of good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious...
. Set in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
it tells the story of a dying man called Bruno and his family. Narrated in the third person that allows for multiple character perspectives it follows Bruno, Bruno's son Miles, Miles' wife Diana and her sister Lisa, Bruno's son in law Danby, Bruno's nurse Adelaide, Nigel (the messianic
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
figure consistently found in Murdoch's novels) and Nigel's twin brother, Will. The novel ends with all the different people coupling up in ways you would not expect.
Couples:
Miles and Parvati (1st wife), Miles and Diana (2nd wife), Miles and Lisa (Diana's sister) they love each other but never get together.
Danby and Gwen (1st wife and Bruno's daughter), Danby and Adelaide (his maid/mistress), Danby and Diana- they go dancing once and he proposes an affair, but it doesn't come to fruition. Danby and Lisa (they end up together at the end of the novel.
Bruno and Janie (his wife), Bruno and Maureen (his mistress).
Will and Adelaide (cousins)
In the end the couples are Miles and Diana, Danby and Lisa, Bruno and Diana, and Will and Adelaide.