Genre And Theme Of Doris Lessing's Science Fiction: Canopus In Argos: Archives

This thesis is a multi-dimensional study of Doris Lessing's science fiction: Canopus in Argos: Archives. Doris Lessing, the winner of Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007, whose reputation was established by The Golden Notebook, also produces a series of science fiction novels that Chinese Scholars have made little effort to study. This thesis is the applications of science fiction theories to the genre complexity of Lessing's science fiction, Canopus in Argos: Archives and tries to reveal the technological theme in The Sirian Experiments and the political theme in The Sentimental Agents in the Volyen Empire, the third and fifth installment of Canopus in Argos: Archives, through the approach of sociobiology and politics. It argues that these two works demonstrate Lessing's disillusionment of utopia established by politics and technology, and it concludes that Doris Lessing believes the idea of establishing an idealistic society through technological development and political reform is nothing more than a mirage.This thesis is composed of four chapters. The first chapter is a brief introduction to Doris Lessing and her Canopus series. It reviews the status quo of the study on Lessing's Canopus series, and points out the necessity and the significance of this research. The second chapter is the applications of science fiction theories to Canopus series. With the combination of qualitative analysis with quantitative analysis and simple statistical method, it resolves the genre complexity of Canopus series, which has perplexed the critical reviewers, and proposes the appropriate directions for the researches of Lessing's science fiction. The third chapter focuses on the study of The Sirian Experiments, the third volume of Canopus series. Through the discussion of Lessing's attack on the eugenic experiments and technological determinism in this novel, it reveals Lessing's disillusionment with technological utopia. The fourth chapter is the study of Lessing's Sentimental Agents, the fifth volume of Canopus series. It reveals Lessing's disillusionment with political utopia through the discussion of her attack on the political movements, political ideologies, and political philosophies.