Shikasta and The Marriages: New Directions in Doris Lessing’s Fiction

Abstract

Regardless of the form that she gave to her science - fiction, Doris Lessing remains stable in the issues and concerns surrounding these novels. Lessing’s many ideas underscoring the Canopus series make it as prosperous as the previous works of this writer. The awareness of the individual is a topic that gives continuity to Lessing’s work and feeds as well as promotes the tension and energy work linking external and internal phenomena symbolically. This theme is embodied in this series showing that Lessing actually underwent an extraordinary twist with the Canopus series, but thoroughly analyzed the same idea infiltrating into other territories. Observing sustainability marks the central object of this paper, along with some knowledge of science – fiction novels. By analyzing the first two novels of the series Canopus in Argos: Archives, we aim to show that that D. Lessing uses science – fiction genre to give a new look to her old concerns, and to lay eyes on completely new problems. Essential for the penetration of ideas, are the formal choices made in the Canopus series. The series draws attention to the separate traditional elements of history, science - fiction, educational Sufi tales, as well as the cohesion that makes fantasy, allegory, autobiography and satire. During the analysis of the first two novels in the Canopus series, we aim to argue that through a “hodgepodge” of events full of life, Doris Lessing appears to be confident, positive, pleasant and coherent.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n19p40