A New Outlook Into Doris Lessing

Doris Lessing, British writer born in Persia, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007. Considered as one of the prominent novelists of the 20th century, Lessing concerns with people caught in the social and political upheavals of the contemporary society.Various theories have been put forward to analyze Lessing's novels, especially from feminism. However, the ecological significance implicated in her novels has seldom been mentioned. The motif in many of her novels is consistent with the theory of ecofeminism, which have raised ecofeminists profound reflection on the relationship between nature and all forms of life, and expressed their care for the ultimate fate of human beings.The awareness of the ecofeminism is clearly reflected in Lessing's novels, opposing to the pressure on women and nature under the rule of traditional patriarchy view of world and dualistic ideological. In her writings, both nature ecology and female ecology in spirit are destroyed. The natural crisis is very similar in concepts and circumstances to female predicament. In this sense, Lessing has an identical pursuit with that of ecofeminism. Lessing, with themes consistent with those of ecofeminists, attempts to explore the universal relationship between degrading female and nature, and advocate building a bran-new relationship between mankind and nature.This thesis is an attempt to find the plausible explanations to the problems the previous critics have overlooked, or could not foresee, or have not solved, on the study of the themes of novels of Doris Lessing. And the thesis is divided into five parts: Chapter one is the introduction, which is about the motive, the theoretical foundation and the value of the thesis. In chapter two, a brief introduction about Lessing and the literature review will be put forward. Besides, I will try to expatiate on the ecofeminism from various angles. In chapter three I will make a detail explanation about the works of Lessing and reinterpret them from ecofeminism. Chapter four is about the way to walk out of predicament which tortures various groups of people. And we should build the new ecological ideal between human and nature; as to the gender relationship, both male and female should cooperate together to overthrow the patriarchy system and set up a new relationship. Chapter five draws a conclusion, in which the idea that difference is not something to be feared or repelled, but the base of a healthy relationship of mutual acceptance and dependence. And the idea of mutual acceptance and dependence rules out any possibility of conquest and exploitation.The meaning of the motif of Lessing's works lies in its universality and apocalyptic vision. People may be confronted with many predicaments one way or another especially in the modern society. What Lessing does may inspire people today in some way is to rebuild a harmonious world.