A Narrative in Notebooks: Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook

Doris Lessing’s body of work is widely regarded as the epitome of feminist writing during a time when female authors battled against the patriarchal foundations of literary works and studies. She was also a master of the craft of storytelling, as evidenced by her novel, The Golden Notebook (1962). This presentation examines how Lessing uses a unique structure to tell the story of her main character, Anna. Instead of a linear narrative, the novel records various sections of Anna’s life in multiple volumes of notebooks. This compartmentalization reflects the various aspects of Anna’s feminist ideal – her identity as a woman, mother, lover, political activist, and friend. Through the lens of each notebook the novel not only portrays a complex character but also conveys Lessing’s feminist ideology. Thus, the reader gets to understand different aspects of the character as well as the author.