Doris Lessing's Archives: Communism, Decolonisation and Literary Practice

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The intention of my thesis is to examine how Doris Lessing's literary practice was shaped by the decline of the British Empire, the rise of communism, and the subsequent transformation of women's labour in the 20th century, and how she employs her women protagonists to explore these cultural moments and their effect on women's identity. I will use the archives at UEA and the Harry Ransom Centre as my primary texts.I aim to build on the existing research by approaching Lessing's novels and archives through the lens of gender, labour, cultural history, and egalitarian theory. Of Lessing's published works, I will base my research on her novels which engage with communism and colonialism as central themes, in particular The Children of Violence series (1952-69), and The Golden Notebook (1962).Through the frame of egalitarian theory, I will employ an interpretivist methodology, questioning the sociological paradigms within which Lessing's work was written and published. Making a close reading of my texts with interpretivism in mind will allow me to interrogate the systems of power that Lessing engages with in her fiction as well as those that created the climate of her writing.I will perform archival research in the UEA and HRC Doris Lessing archives, with a focus on manuscripts and correspondence relating to the aforementioned novels and to the period of 1950-1970, to southern Africa, and to her involvement with the Communist Party. Lessing's correspondence with her contemporaries - including Margaret Drabble, Muriel Spark, Iris Murdoch - will be fruitful ground for understanding the author's literary practice and her engagement with political culture. I will analyse Lessing's personal papers which precede the publication of the novels I will focus on and span the period of her living in Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia) and early involvement with communism. For instance, 'The Whitehorn letters' will illuminate how she identified with these historical moments, how they shaped her writing and the way she built her women protagonists under these influences. I will also review relevant historical materials relating to communist groups in the UK, and those based in Southern Africa under the rule of the British Empire, to investigate the role of gender within this political faction.