Mystical Path Of Self Evolution: Sufism In The Novels Of Doris Lessing

From the 1960s onwards, Doris Lessing was fascinated by a kind of Oriental mysticism (Sufism). The new outlook that Sufism renders has filled her works with novel scopes and profound meanings. Lessing assumes that the Sufi way of knowing one's inner self would assist modern men's evolution of self. Thus, her characters are purposefully endowed with Sufi thought and able to gain insights on the Sufi path through evaluating themselves in relation to the outer world. Despite different expressions in her mystical dimension her works can be observed from a holistic view. With her unceasing efforts, she maintains the one who shows deep concern about the development of individuals and the whole human race.This thesis attempts at several fictions rich in Sufi elements from Lessing's oeuvre in hopes of mapping out her endeavors at the spiritual growth. The opening chapter compares classical Sufism with Sufism in the west as well as Lessing's connection to Idries Shah. And her comprehension towards Sufism is also explicated. This chapter aims to establish the theoretical framework of the thesis. Chapter two offers the means to become a Sufi. Through analysis of dream, memory, madness and intuition we can see how Lessing equips her characters with the Sufi thinking to penetrate themselves and achieve better understanding of their inner realms. The closing chapter concerns the final phase for the Sufis to reach. The protagonists in Lessing's fiction come to realize the proper relations between self and collective, and eventually strike a balance between the inner world and the outer world as well as rationality and irrationality via their constant work on self. Thus they are able to break the confines of the conventional to possess the ultimate harmony and transform into a true Sufi.Lessing's Sufism gives vent to modern men's frustration and bafflement in the wake of the disintegration of value systems after the World War II. Under the guidance of Sufism, Lessing weaves her suggestions into the very texture of her novels. She teaches people how to search the innermost part and leads people to overcome the social crisis and revitalize the spiritual potentials. In the mean time, she straddles east and west. Against the scientific and rational backdrop she successfully adjusts the Oriental mystical tradition to the modern western society, which to some degree contributes to the cross-cultural communication between the East and the West.