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Cultural Memory in Doris Lessing's Fiction

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Cultural Memory in Doris Lessing's Fiction Cultural Memory in Doris Lessing’s Fiction An analysis of The Grass is Singing, Alfred and Emily and Martha Quest in light of cultural memory studies Myrte Bijster 3036006 MA Literatuur en Cultuurkritiek 28-07-2012 Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….1 Chapter 1 Cultural Memory Studies…………………………………………………………...5 Chapter 2 A Short History of Zimbabwe……………………………………………………..14 Chapter 3 The Grass Is Singing………………………………………………………………20 Chapter 4 Alfred and Emily…………………………………………………………………..30 Chapter 5 Martha Quest………………………………………………………………………40 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………47 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………..50 1 Introduction In this MA thesis I will compare and contrast three novels written by Doris Lessing and show their importance to the field of memory studies. Doris Lessing is often seen as a feminist writer, and much has been written about her work from that perspective (Altman 15). However, there is more to Lessing‟s work than feminist writing alone. Many of her novels, and in particular the three novels that I will discuss in this thesis, deal with racism and colonialism as well as with gender issues. In her novels, these specific issues are approached from the field of memory studies. The novels that I will discuss here are The Grass is Singing, Alfred and Emily and Martha Quest. In all three books Lessing uses her own memories to create an image of white colonial culture in South Rhodesia and with that adds to the field of cultural memory studies. Although cultural memory studies has been a growing field within literary studies, not much has been written yet about Doris Lessing‟s work in this light. In all three of the novels that I will analyze however, interesting forms of cultural memory and memory in general are to be found. In The Grass is Singing, Lessing touches upon the notion of cultural identity and shows how cultural memories are formed within an isolated society such as the white settler communities in colonial South Rhodesia. In Alfred and Emily, Lessing uses another aspect that is part of cultural memory studies, which is the creation of an alternative history. In Martha Quest, Lessing plays with the idea of nostalgia and shows that this can also be a part of a cultural memory. In this thesis I will show how Lessing uses these several aspects of cultural memory to underline her postcolonial and feminist work. In the first chapter, I will explain what cultural memory studies are, and how I will use that theory to help analyze the three novels I have chosen. The second chapter will then provide an overview of the history of South Rhodesia or 2 Zimbabwe, as it is now called. Then, three subsequent chapters will provide the analyses of the three novels. The Grass is Singing(1950) is Lessing‟s first novel and was received very well by literary critics. It is still an important novel, because Lessing describes the influence of cultural memory on an individual. In addition to that, Lessing discusses the idea of a cultural identity, and specifically the cultural feminine identity of a white woman in South Rhodesia during the first half of the 20th century. Martha Quest (1952) is the first book of the series Children of Violence which Lessing wrote between 1952 and 1993. The series tells the life story of Martha Quest, from a young teenager to her adult life in Great Britain. The first novel, Martha Quest, tells the story of Martha‟s escape from her parent‟s farm to go live and work in the city until her (first) marriage. Alfred and Emily (2008) is one of Lessing‟s more recent books, as it was published in 2008, almost sixty years after The Grass is Singing. The novel is half fiction, half memoir and focuses on the life of her parents. In the first half, Lessing tries to imagine what her parents‟ lives would have looked like had there never been two world wars. The second half consists of Lessing‟s memoirs, and she describes the lives of her parents as they were. The analyses of the three novels will be the groundwork for this thesis. The theory that I will use to analyze the novels, is the theory of cultural memory studies. The first chapter will therefore give an overview of the main aspects of the theory, which I apply to the analyses of the novels. Aspects such as counter-history, alternative history, cultural identity and cultural memory itself, will be explained in the first chapter and then analyzed with reference to Lessing‟s fiction in the subsequent chapters. As will be explained in the first chapter as well, it is important to add a historical context. First of all, it is easier to understand Lessing‟s fiction if the reader has some general knowledge of the history of South Rhodesia. 3 Secondly, it is important to give an historical overview, because it will add to the critical context of cultural memory studies. Memory cannot be analyzed without a historical framework, as I will explain in the first chapter. In her fiction, Lessing uses her own memories to create a story that will help the reader understand the situation of the people in South Rhodesia. She connects history and memory, by making sure that her memory is put in a critical, historical context. She also uses her memory to write fiction that is critical of British colonial history, and of the way in which that past is nowadays remembered. I will show that in all three novels, Lessing‟s own personal memories are very important. She uses them for her fiction and I will show that many of her fictional characters posses autobiographical elements. It is therefore fitting to explain a little about Doris Lessing‟s own life. Doris Lessing was born in 1919. She is of British descent, however, as her father was stationed in Persia, Lessing was born in the middle-east. After an exhibition about the farming lands in South-Rhodesia, the family moved there and her father built a farm (de Mul 35). In South Rhodesia the family lived in total isolation, and farming the lands was harder than her father had imagined. Her mother was used to the city, had led a rather comfortable life in Persia as well, and had difficulty getting used to the dry and hot lands of South Rhodesia. A few years before the publication of her first novel, Lessing moved to Great Britain. During the 1950‟s, Lessing was not allowed to enter South Rhodesia. She was considered a communist and was not welcome because of her politically engaged writings (de Mul 36). After the independence of Zimbabwe (former South Rhodesia) Lessing was finally allowed to visit the country again. In this thesis I will look at the way in which personal and collective (or cultural) memories are described in the novels. Besides that, I will compare the novels with each other. 4 Are there differences between the older and recent books concerning Lessing‟s use of memories? Through my analyses of the three novels, I will show that Doris Lessing uses cultural memory to bring a deeper understanding of the colonial situation in South Rhodesia. 5 Chapter 1 Cultural Memory Studies Over the last 25 years the interest in the field of cultural memory studies has drastically expanded. However, interest in the field of memory began to grow in the end of the nineteenth century. In the beginning of the 20th century in psychology as well as anthropology interest arose in the social constructions of individual and collective memories (Olick 107). History has always been known for its factual approach to the past. Only through critical analysis can a form of objective narrative concerning the past be acquired. However, as in different scientific fields, such as psychology and neurology, the interest in social constructions began to grow, as the recollection of individual and shared memories of historic events became more important (Cubitt 2). The field of cultural memory studies is however not yet, and will possibly never be, “a coherent and unified field of enquiry”, as it is practiced in different disciplines (Cubitt 2). It is therefore difficult to provide a theoretical framework that will include all aspects of memory studies, as it is practiced in so many discourses. Instead, I will try to give a brief overview of the main concepts used in cultural memory studies, and use them in my analysis of Doris Lessing‟s work. The concept of a memory is very broad, hence there are many discourses in which such a subject can be used. In the sciences for instance, such as neurology, memory is approached as a concept that is formed by the workings of our brain. It is about the production of memory, and the mechanisms underlying that production. In psychology, memory and the recovery of memory are used as methods to cure or heal a person‟s mental health, and are always thought of as an individual‟s experiences. In cultural memory studies, memories are approached as constructs of social and cultural communities or groups. In his book History and Memory Cubitt researches the definition of memory and its relation to history. As he poses the question “what is history”, he also provides multiple 6 answers, all of which are applicable to cultural memory studies. For this thesis, his combined answers to his own question are the definition of memory. Memory is the survival as well as the reconstruction of past experiences, it can be both individual and shared, and it can be linked to culture, religion or social institutions (Cubitt 2). It is important to note that for a shared memory, past memories do not necessarily have to be experienced by all individuals in the particular group.
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