| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立中山大學 === 外國語文學系研究所 === 89 === My thesis is an attempt to approach Anna’s predicament in Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook from the angle of identity crisis. Charles Taylor maintains that in configuring the picture of self-identity, we actually answer the questions of existence. Identity crisis thus expresses the feeling of disorientation and uncertainty about the meaning of life. In The Golden Notebook, Anna is strained under her identity crisis which culminates in the mental collapse. In order to recover from the breakdown, Anna must re-answer the questions of her existence.
In the introductory chapter, I give a brief sketch on the concept of the self, focusing on its transition from the Romanticism to the postmodernism. In the postmodern world, the romantic vocabulary of wholeness and personal significance gives way to the postmodern expressions of fragmentation and meaninglessness. Against these two poles, I try to analyze Lessing’s attitudes. This chapter aims to offer the background against which the heroine’s struggle and solution can be better realized.
In Chapter One, I survey the concept of self as narrative and elucidate the three dimensions—temporal, moral, and social—of the self. The main point is that the self is produced in the narrative, and in daily routines the textual identity is confirmed and reinforced. Thus the daily performance serves as the most solid prop to uphold the picture of self-identity. In Chapter Two, I trace the sources of Anna’ identity crisis in light of the collapse of the practical involvements and highlight her syndrome of identity crisis with the aids of the theoretical discussion of the three dimensions. Chapter Tree deals with Anna’s search for the true self, the presence of which presumably can solve her identity problem. The quest for the true self takes the route of her sessions with the therapist Mrs. Marks and the scribbling in the four notebooks. Both fail to produce the true self-narrative. If the self is created in the narrative as the concept of self as narrative suggests, the failure to produce the true self-narrative announces the absence of the true self. In Chapter Four, I examine Saul Green’s features and Anna’s intercourse with him to bring out the hazards of her situation and her reconciliation with the inaccessibility of the true self. By invoking the figure of the boulder-pusher, Anna substitutes the responsible self for the true self. She finally breaks out of the shackle of despair and recovers from her mental breakdown.
In conclusion, I emphasize that Lessing is a strongly committed writer. Therefore, Anna’s salvation can be considered as Lessing’s suggestion for those who suffer out of a similar cause how to maintain themselves in the postmodern fragmentary world.
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