An Analysis Of The Diary Of A Good Neighbour From The Perspective Of Female Narrative Voice

British female writer Doris Lessing is praised as the greatest female writer after Woolf.In 2007 Lessing was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.The Diary of a Good Neighbour is one of Lessing's numerous works.It marks that Lessing's writing style returns to realism.The work reveals a modern female's voice and the journey of self-discovery in the form of private diary.Some domestic and international scholars have studied structure,theme and characters of the novel and have acquired some achievement.The thesis analyzes female voices,living dilemma of different female characters and female's wish about fighting for discourse authority in the novel from a new aspect that is feminist narratology.The introduction briefly introduces Doris Lessing and The Diary of a Good Neighbour.This part summarizes research status about Doris Lessing both in China and abroad.Chapter one presents the basic theory of the thesis that is feminist narratology.This part briefly compares feminist narratology with structuralist narratology and feminist criticism.The advantage of feminist narratology is reflected from that when analyzing works it avoids the problem of one-sided.Feminist narratology strengthens the narrative strategies as well as historical background.Chapter two respectively analyses personal and communal voices in the novel.Firstly,through three main female characters,the chapter demonstrates oppression from patriarchy and shows aspiration and action of resistance from female in multi-angle.Secondly,the chapter studies three forms of communal voice that reflect in the novel.Communal voice usually represents groups of marginal female.Chapter three introduces the process of establishing female discourse authority.Firstly,the chapter presents the meditation about gender politics,which reflects the female's position of “the other” under the patriarchal background.Secondly,the chapter analyzes that Lessing deconstructs male discourse through her narrative strategies.Finally,the chapter studies how to establish female discourse authority.Lessing adopts a form of private diary novel to avoid the judgment from patriarchy.The conclusion summarizes Lessing's narrative strategies and the practical significance of studying feminist narratology.In The Diary of a Good Neighbour,Lessing shows different female narrative voices through several female characters to reveal her female thoughts and presents her aspiration of establishing female discourse authority.