A Journey Of Anna’s Self-knowledge

Doris Lessing is the most outstanding female writer of Britain in the 20 thcentury. The Golden Notebook is her most representative literary masterpiece. This thesis applies the theory of Lacanian three orders to analyze Anna’s three journeys of self-knowledge. It is demonstrated that the protagonist Anna ultimately completes her self-knowledge by virtue of these three journeys.The thesis is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, we focus on the process of how Anna attempts to achieve the ideal-ego’s identification in the imaginary order. Via Anna’s black, red and yellow notebooks as the entry point, the chapter sets out to explore how she exerts her energy to realize her ideal-ego in the three notebooks in order to reach her self-redemption. However, because the imaginary order is filled with deceptions and lies,Anna encounters a series of setbacks and suffers from the writing block, resulting in mental disintegration. Finally, Anna’s idealistic self-identification in the imaginary order is doomed to failure, which marks the failure of Anna’s first self-knowledge.After experiencing the failure in the first chapter, Anna adjusts herself and sets off again.The second chapter analyzes how Anna heads from ideal-ego in the imaginary order to the Big Other in the symbolic order, ego-ideal. The chapter proceeds from the yellow, blue and golden notebook, focusing on the interpretation of how Anna starts the second journey of self-knowledge on the condition that Anna complies with regulation of “the Name of Father”.If Anna wants to end self-disintegration, she must abide by the regulation of “the Name of Father”, proceed from her own actual situation, and learn to compromise. Only in this way can she realize the initial success of the second journey of self-knowledge.The third chapter is established on the basis of the real order, regarding Anna’s dreams and hallucinations as entry point. This chapter mainly discusses Anna’s trauma and fantasy in the real order. Only abiding by “the Name of Father” is not enough to help Anna get rid of schizophrenia and realize self-knowledge. Anna still needs to clear out the real and the reality of self-disorder and resolves mental disintegration caused by trauma and fantasy. Thus, she can achieve the third journey of self-knowledge. Ultimately based on her efforts, she faces the nightmares positively, ends her disintegrated life, and accomplishes self-knowledge andrealizes sublimation of her self-value.Applying the theory of three orders as a support, the thesis dissects Lessing’s The Golden Notebook comprehensively. As an outstanding representative of women in 1950 s,women’s perseverance in personal ideal-ego and ego-ideal deserves compliments and recognition. But women needs to understand that they show great courage and endurance instead of some so-called heroic acts when confronted with frustration and despair. In addition, sometimes people must accept the reality, learn to make a compromise with it, and do what he or she can. Do not try for the impossible because the wall as the reality is always moving around us and sets us an insurmountable boundary.