Feminist Interpretation Of Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook

Doris Lessing is undoubtedly one of the most influential women writers in the 20th century. In 1962, her masterpiece The Golden Notebook was published. It is regarded as the companion volume of Simon de Beauvoir's The Second Sex. The novel soon became popular among the feminists because of its realistic description about women's independent consciousness and their living condition.This thesis has been written with the aim to interpret The Golden Notebook from the perspective of feminism. The novel's theme, structure, characters, narrative style serve well for the aim of feminist interpretation. The thesis also innovatively discusses the challenges to feminism reflected from The Golden Notebook.The main part of the thesis is divided into three sections for the demonstration. Chapter One introduces the basic information of feminism which is regarded as the background of Doris Lessing's writing and the relationship between Doris Lessing and feminism. Those three waves of feminism have promoted the development of the contemporary women's writing. Doris Lessing's writing is influenced by feminism and makes contribution to the development of it. Chapter Two analyses the novel's structure and theme, narrative style and"Free Women"respectively. I point out that the narrative style, theme, structure in The Golden Notebook are combined together to serve for the expression of feminist sensibility in the novel. The Golden Notebook has been well known for its complex structure. The very structure makes the theme reach its best expression; it reflects not only the fragmentation of Anna's inner world but also the chaotic society she lives. Doris Lessing employed a woman writer as the first person narrator in the novel; she has certainly served as a spokeswoman for women's rights in her life and her work. Chapter Three explores challenges to feminism in The Golden Notebook. After women have gotten the franchise, tremendous phenomena directly illustrate a series of problems in women's political life. Compared with traditional women, the"Free Women"in The Golden Notebook enjoyed a kind of free professional life, but they don't get deserved happiness after their bravely walking out of the kitchen. The relationship between women and children is also a big issue in the movement of feminism. Feminism successfully has given women the equality of parental rights, but the right can not produce harmonious relationship between women and children without the"fathers'protection"."Free Women"discarded their loveless marriage but still could not find their perfect marriage. Women always blame men for all their suffering from the experience of working, education, relationship. Lessing's novel tells us that males are not the enemies to women but their collaborators.