The Study Of The Anti-utopian Narrative In Lessing’s Science Fiction

Doris Lessing(1919-2013)is recognized as one of the best contemporary British female writers,and her works are regarded as “a woman’s perspective on the divided civilization of an era” by the Nobel Committee in the award speech.When critics highly praise the feminism in her works,she turns her attention to the genre of science fiction that has caused controversy among the critics.But no matter what genre she employs,Lessing has never stopped exploring the dilemma of human existence and the future of civilization.In science fiction,Lessing adopts anti-utopian perspective to express her criticism and reflection on the real society.However,at the same time,she still maintains typically happy ending in anti-utopian scene,which reflects Lessing’s humanistic concern for the living conditions of human beings.This thesis takes Lessing’s Marriage between Zones Three,Four and Five and Mara and Dann: An Adventure as research objects.Although the tone of the two novels is diverse,as the anti-utopian characteristics of the first novel are more vague,it can be found that Lessing expresses doubts about and criticisms of utopian society through the description of three zones.In general,Lessing relies on science fiction to show the seemingly illusory world,strongly insinuating the real society in another time and space,but Lessing does not stop there;instead,she embraces a new vision of utopian society,namely human beings living harmoniously with nature in a pluralistic society which still exists morality,order and love.Previous studies seldom touches upon the anti-utopian characteristics of these two novels,and no attempt has been made to discuss the similarities between the two novels in the aspect of the construction of utopian spirit.Thus,this paper intends to analyze the anti-utopian characteristics of these two novels,in light of social utopia,personal utopia and ecological utopia,the three types of utopia formulated on the basis of utopian theories and cultural studies.It reveals that Lessing actually upholds a return to the utopian spirit under the cloak of anti-utopian narrative.The main body of the paper focuses respectively on the anti-utopian characteristics embodied in the work from three perspectives: social utopia,personal utopia and ecological utopia.In terms of social utopia,the marriage between Zone Three and Four in the first novel exposes the dangerous nationalism and ideology in Zone Three with a high degree of civilization,while the second novel completely presents the catastrophic society of the future earth where is full of regional conflicts and racial contradictions.With regard to personal utopia,there are paradoxes everywhere in three highly civilized Zone Three,including human indifference and spiritual nihilism,whereas the future society also encounters chaotic ethical environment.As far as ecological utopia is concerned,there are different levels of alienation in each zone in the first novel,and the sharp contradiction between man and nature in the second novel,which is brought to the extreme.Then the paper points out that Lessing,under the cloak of anti-utopian narrative,virtually reveals the value orientation of the utopian spirit,whose basic meaning is criticism and transcendence.Lessing exposes the shortcomings of the real society from the critical perspective,so that people are alert to real problems.On the other hand,she shows an ideal blueprint for improving reality with a transcending attitude.Thus,for Lessing,what really matters is not the utopia itself,but that human beings should never fail to lose the desire to transcend the real world.At this point,the two novels have something in common.In terms of social utopia,it can be found out Lessing has great expectations for national cultural integration and friendly neighbor relations;in personal utopia,Lessing upholds morality,order and love as the source of a blissful life;as for ecological utopia,she advocates harmony between man and nature.Finally,it is concluded that Lessing conveys the value of the recurrence of the utopian spirit through anti-utopian narratives,which explains Lessing’s strong appeals in the era of human spiritual wasteland and prevailing materialism.