A Study Of The Grass Is Singing From The Perspective Of Feminist Stylistics

This thesis aims to study The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing from the perspective offeminist stylistics, which deals with four foregrounded aspects of the text: lexical terms,transitivity choices, metaphor, and focalization. To put it specifically, the first person pronouns,the ways the characters are named and titled and their gender implications in the novel arestudied; the gender-specific metaphors and figurative languages are the concerns of this thesis;transitivity choices of the characters are analyzed; the focalization of the novel is interpreted sothat both linguistic features and the structure of the novel are studied, and the conclusion thatfemales are prejudiced against and they can hardly have any chance to live independently andactively in the hierarchal colonial African society is achieved.Based on the theory of feminist stylistics, this thesis combines the stylistic analysis of thenovel with the gender studies of the novel, interpreting the theme of the novel and illustrates howthe linguistic elements are employed to help uncover the hidden power in control: the RepressiveState Apparatus and the Ideological State Apparatuses, both of which are in the hands of thewhite males and they work together in the process of Mary’s growth from a sad innocent littlegirl to a cheerful young lady to a dizzy unhappy wife who is killed by Moses in the end. Thus,the tragedy conveyed in the novel finds a new way into the comprehension of readers.