A Probe into the Feminist Ideal of The Golden Notebook开题报告

1. 研究目的与意义

Doris Lessing is undoubtedly one of the most influential women writers in the 20th century. Since its first publication in 1962, her masterpiece The Golden Notebook has been widely read and discussed. The novel tells us how the writer Anna overcomes her #8220;writer#8217;s block#8221; by dividing her life up into several notebooks and by psychoanalysis and how she eventually sustains integrity after a serious mental breakdown. It displays the process of a woman#8217;s growing up, awakening and gaining final freedom. Meanwhile, in the novel, Lessing also gives some serious pondering and inquiring on human nature. By reading the novel, readers can know about the realistic description about women#8217;s consciousness of independence and their living conditions. The novel#8217;s theme, structure, character, narrative style serve well for the aim of feminist interpretation.

2. 研究内容和预期目标

this paper compares and analyzes different female images in the golden notebook, highlighting both passive resistance of complaining wives or active opposition of liberal women. after the twists and turns of life, whether they have to choose to return home in order to get rid of solitude and reluctance of their inner heart or continue to pursue self-reliance and freedom. their determination will show whether they can live without men.

the paper expounds the argument from three aspects. chapter one is to make comparisons between modern women and traditional women in their living conditions and working life. chapter two is to analyze and compare the different fate of females in the modern world and their different methods of protest. chapter three will discuss possible ways to realize women#8217;s freedom and independence

the paper aims to find out women#8217;s living conditions and the feminist idea in that time.

3. 国内外研究现状

Lessing#8217;s works were introduced to china in about 1950s, but because of the sensitive time and atmosphere, there were few scholars who tried to discuss her works. It was not until 1990s that Chinese scholars started to pay attention to her novels, and researches about Lessing were started from then. Sun Zhongbai was the first domestic scholar who introduced Lessing. He talked about Lessing#8217;s current position and her writing style. Another scholar Wang Jiaxiang focused on Lessing#8217;s works produced between 1950 and 1980. After 20 years development, the literary critic circle has gained great progress about Lessing. As the masterpiece of Lessing, The Golden Notebook has been mostly discussed. Scholars mostly discuss the theme, structure and idea of the novel at first. Then they talk about women#8217;s freedom, the relationship between men and women and the politic ideas in the novel. All of these researches help Chinese people know more about Lessing and her idea.

As one of the most classic novel in English literature, The Golden Notebook has been discussed by scholars all over the world, especially in western countries. However, when Lessing published the novel in 1962, in the following 10 years, it gained no attention. Few scholars made any comments on her novel. The first scholar who paid attention to Lessing was Doris Burst. She talked about the novel from the aspect of artistic techniques. Then, from 1970 to 1990, more and more people started to know Lessing and her novels. They did researches from different aspects. Margaret Drabble hails the novel as #8220;a document in the history of women#8217;s liberation#8221;. Showalter uses the word #8220;monumental#8221; to highlight it among the works of twentieth-century women writers. Susan Lardner calls it #8220;a feminist gospel, a representative of modern women#8221;. Lessing is regarded as one of the early voices of the feminist movement, and The Golden Notebook one of its key texts.

4. 计划与进度安排

1. introduction

2. comparison between traditional women and modern women

2.1 free life of the modern women

5. 参考文献

1. fromm, erich. the sane society[m]. london: oxford university press, 1999.

2. lessing, doris. the golden notebook[m]. london: oxford university press, 1963.

3. pickering, jane. understanding doris lessing[m]. new york: vintage, 1990.