In recent years, withthe deepening of the study of female consciousness in academic circles, manyliterary historians began to reexamine and study female writers. Naturally, weshould not ignore Doris Lessing, who occupies a place in female literature andhas a great influence on later generations. Feminism literature mainly refersto the works which describe the living situation of them starting from thegender identity of women. In general, writers have the goal of changing genderinequality between men and women while writing.

Doris Lessing is a British female writer. She was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature. Lessing was the oldest person ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Then in 2008, The Times ranked her fifth on a list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945”.

The Nobel Prize forLiterature rewards Lessing as a feminist pioneer. In awarding the prize,the Swedish Academy described her as “that epicistof the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power hassubjected a divided civilization to scrutiny” But it was a great irony forLessing. Lessing said that she was not an active feminist in the 1960s. Sheseems reluctant to be stereotyped as a “feminist writer”.

But she was sympatheticto women’s issues and gave prominence to them all her life. The importantsubjects in Doris Lessing’s works are the dilemma faced by modern women and theway they seek their own liberation. She also made the bold innovations in theart form and skill, and attempted to reveal the deeper level of the characters’mental activities. This thesis topic begins with one of her classic works, TheFifth Child, about a couple, David and Harriet, who have been living ahappy life after marriage. But the fifth child Ban, who appears out of theplan, breaks the original happiness of this seemingly complete family. It isalso a novel about a woman, narrating a mother’s unusual and painful experienceof pregnancy, production and parenting. This work reflects and rethinks therelationship between women’s marriage, family and society, having a strongfeminist color.

In the study of DorisLessing’s works at home and abroad, feminist issues are mostly discussed. The majority of scholarschoose The Golden Notes, The Grass Is Singing, To Room Nineteen, The Womenon a Roof and so on. The Feminist interpretations of The Fifth Child arevery few. The Fifth Child truly records the female life of the 1960s,creating many vivid images of the female. The work observes the society fromthe perspective of women and exposes some social problems. It is of great valuefor us to study Doris Lessing’s thoughts and opinions on the fate of women, andit also helps us to have a further understanding of her writing characteristicsand orientation. At the same time, it can be regarded as a kind of spiritual strengthfor the women who aspire to pursue independence and freedom and has guidingsignificance for the lifestyle of modern women.

2. 研究的基本内容与方案

Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction

1.1 Doris Lessing and Her Works

1.2 Plot of The Fifth Child

1.3 Literature Review