An Analysis Of The Golden Notebook From The Perspective Of Feminist Narratology

Doris Lessing is a productive and innovative writer in contemporary Britain. Herworks are noted for unique perspective, multiple themes and daring writing strategies,among which The Golden Notebook, published in1962, is publicly known as hermasterpiece, enjoying a high reputation in the literary world. About the form andcontent of the work, they have long been the research focus of scholars both at homeand abroad. Other scholars tend to comment on the theme in view of feminism, whichis quite contrary to Lessing’s original intention.In the novel, Lessing intentionally endows the female protagonist, Anna Wulf,with the right to focalize things around her and to narrate all that she has experienced,through which Lessing achieves the purpose of subverting men’s traditional dominantposition and constructing female narrative authority. Enlightened by various studieson Doris Lessing and her works, the author attempts to make an analysis of TheGolden Notebook based on the theory of feminist narratology, coined by Americanscholar Susan Lanser. The thesis explores the subversive ideology, narrative authorityand anti-traditional writing strategies in light of narrative voices, narrative focalizationand structure arrangement in the novel. Hence, the author hopes to offer a newresearch perspective for the novel. The thesis consists of five parts:Chapter one is focused on the background information about Doris Lessing andher literary career, literature review of The Golden Notebook, brief introduction offeminist narratology and significance of the thesis. Chapter Two is a discussion ofLessing’s choice of Anna Wulf as the focalizer to convey Anna’s subjectiveconsciousness and Lessing’s gender politics. Chapter Three is centered on Lessing’sconstruction of narrative authority by giving Anna personal narrative voice andauthorial narrative voice, which is a means to change distorted women images and tospeak out real women experience and predicament. Chapter Four makes a study of themulti-layered structure and unconventional language used in the novel, whichillustrates Lessing’ exploration of female writing and her unceasing quest for literarycreation.. The final part is a summary of the thesis and concludes that Doris Lessingsucceeds in establishing her unique narrative authority by combining narrativestrategies with gender politics in the novel creation.