The Modernity Of The Golden Notebook

Doris Lessing writes in different styles. She greatly admires the 19th century literature and begins her work in the realist mode. She has been generally categorized as a realist writer till the publication of The Golden Notebook, which marks her transformation from realism to experimentalism. In The Golden Notebook Lessing not only discusses some modern themes but also adopts some modern narrative techniques. She examines the novel form as well, thus makes a contribution to the postmodernist debate about the nature of fiction. Emphasis of my paper will be put on the modern themes and modern narrative techniques used in The Golden Notebook.In Chapter I are briefly discussed Modernist fiction; its difference from traditional realism in the concept such as "reality" and time and space; the subject matter modernist writers usually express and the narrative techniques they adopt To Modernist writers, reality refers to the subjective psychological world rather than the objective material world of human beings and in their works they concentrate on the mind and inner life of characters. They try to show the sense of alienation, anxiety and despair by portraying a painful and even morbid self. The narrative techniques they usually adopt include: non-serial chronological narration, time-space shift, frequent shift of focalizations, symbolism, dreams and hallucinations, in addition to the two most important stream of consciousness devices: interior monologue and free association.In Chapter 2 are given a brief summary of the novel and discussion of the modern themes of it. The most important themes of this novel are about breakdown and breakthrough. The other important one is about the relations between men and women. The heroine breaks down as the result of frustrations she suffers in life, which will be analyzed from political, professional and emotional aspects respectively. The theme of relations between men and women will be discussed from three subthemes: relations between men and women, free women and female sexualityIn Chapter 3 focus is put on the modem narrative techniques used in this novel: multi-layered structure, the non-chronological narrative technique, shift of focalization, symbolism, dreams and hallucinations, cutting and so on.Multi-layered structure is one of the most important narrative techniques adopted in the book. Both the novels inside the book and the notebooks are written by Anna. They complement or overlap each other in content with discrepancies existing between them, even between the notebooks, which make the structure multi-layered and the book open to be explained.The novel adopts a complex time scheme and thus challenges the linear reading of the novel.In the novel, not only all the three kinds of focalizations are adopted, but transformations happens. One kind of focalization functions as another.Forms of the novel, names of the heroine and colors of the notebooks are symbolic in The Golden NotebookDreams and hallucinations are also used to reflect the central theme of the notebook. So is cutting.In the conclusion is showed the postmodernism elements of this novel by showing its presentation of the nature of fiction. It will also be pointed out that the right way to categorize Doris Lessing is to study her as a whole and classify her according to her main works at different stages.