House and Self in The Grass Is Singing

Abstract

Abstract: The prominent presence of the house and self in Doris Lessing's works implies her exploration into the possibility of the house to evolve into a real personal space, a space of self-discovery where the dwellers can be outside of and free from the determinations of social categories and identity constructions. In The Grass Is Singing, the house is characterized by its confining quality due to the white settlers' insistence on their superior identity, and its subordination to disciplinary social space because of the omnipresent surveillance and homogenizing inclination of the latter, which paralyzes the individual's awareness of and initiative in establishing personal space. Against all these, the house temporarily demonstrates the features of personal space and the personal space structured by personal relationship does appear, however fragile. Through the exploration of the house as a potential personal space, Lessing expresses her criticism of the monolithic social space with its distorting and repressing impact on the individual's self. The difficulty of establishing the personal space testifies the power of social space.

Key words: Doris Lessing, space, house, self, The Grass Is Singing

Jiang Renfeng. House and Self in The Grass Is Singing[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2017, 39(3): 71-77.

References

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