An Analysis Of Lessing's Sufism In The Summer Before The Dark

The British female writer,Doris Lessing attracts critics' attention with her rich experiences and profound writing.She contemplates the divisive civilization after wars critically,and devotes herself to soothing people's emptiness,disunion and perplexity.In Sufism,Lessing sees the possibility of communicating and integrating the West and the East,and incorporates her meditation and reflection in Sufism into her literary creation.At the end of The Summer before the Dark,the protagonist achieves her inner equilibrium by series of extrasensory experience.This thesis identified Sufi elements in this novel,analyzes the harmonious state Lessing pursues and discusses Lessing's writing techniques influenced by Sufi philosophy.This thesis includes three parts.Introduction briefly introduces Lessing's life and works,the main plot and related researches on this novel,and the structural design of this thesis.Chapter one systematically explains Sufism's origin and development,Shah's reinterpretation of Sufism in the West and Lessing's understanding of Sufism,and maintains that what attracts Lessing in Sufism is its philosophical thoughts rather than its Islamic mysticism.Chapter two analyzes the transcendent perception which Kate experiences in her summer journey,including dreams,memories and solitude.Chapter three elaborates Sufi culmination of a harmonious state that Lessing achieves in this novel from three dimensions: men and women,inner world and outer world,individual and collective.Chapter four explores Sufism's influence on Lessing's literary creation.Based on the above analysis,conclusion points out that Sufism plays a decisive role in Lessing's success in plot arrangement,theme representation and expression of humanistic concern.Kate stands for “everyone” who loses the authentic self and Sufism offers them strength to confront,transcend and perfect themselves,and eventually gain the mental “wholeness”.