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Summer Dillon Ms. Gardner English 10H 1 2 December 2013 The Breakdown of The Golden Notebook Burt, Daniel S. "The Golden Notebook." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. This article voices Lessings of The Golden Notebook as a masterpiece with a well thought out structure that gives the novel its influence. The novel is glorified as a piece with power and impact through its ability to capture the inner workings of women. The article also goes in a deep summary of the work and some of Lessings ideas behind them. This article offers a brief critique of the glorious work of Lessing, but it is drowned in summary. This article is helpful to those who would like the positive view on the novel and a deeper understanding of the themes and structure of the novel, but not so much on the work itself. It goes in very little detail of why its structure caught readers eyes and if Lessings language had anything to do with its popularity.

Lupin, Eva. "identity in The Golden Notebook." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 8 Nov. 2013 Identity poses as a central theme in The Golden Notebook. Anna Wulf begins realizing her characters have different sides, just as she does. These sides usually reveal

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themselves as contraries. She categorizes each side in a different notebook, keeping it separate from the rest. In her own character and the characters of her books she finds the sides often contrast, combine, and compliment. Her characters become a mirror image of herself and when she realizes this she finds her lost identity. This article gives readers a reasonable idea of the central theme of identity in the novel. As a respectable pre-reading guide, the text gives readers an understanding of the roles of the notebooks, Annas writing, and Anna finding herself, all of which can sometimes be undistinguishable in the novel. This text holds an informative approach to assist readers understand the major themes of the text. These realizations of the finding of identity can not only be applied to the protagonist, but to the readers as well.

Lupin, Eva. "illness in The Golden Notebook." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Doris Lessings character, Anna Wulf seems to struggle with mental illness in The Golden Notebook. With the urge to keep things from getting chaotic, Wulf religiously keeps her notebooks separate, as a way of uncovering her identity. In a detailed synopsis, the article explains how Wulf connects writing to her conscience and in the end she discovers that words do not have a straight-forward meaning, but remain neutral. The article provides an uncommon theme of the novel. Most view The Golden Notebook as a work of communism and feminism, but Annas constant obsession with her writing can be recognized as an illness. This article provides evidence that this is so in a way that can intrigue readers to look deeper in the novels complex characters. This text provides readers with the affirmation that Wulfs identity can be blinded by her insanity.

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Partnow, Elaine T. "Lessing, Doris." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. As well as a novelist, Lessings genius is also displayed in plays, which still fall under her ideal topics of feminism and politics. Lessing is praised for her ability to intertwine self-struggle with serious topics such as communism. A play emphasized, Play with Tigers, follows similar characteristics of The Golden Notebook, as she expresses deep feminism concepts and identity. Lessing received many well deserved awards for her works. The article offers a different light of Lessing. Known mostly for novels, such as The Golden Notebook, seeing her as a playwright gives readers another perspective. This text gives readers a deeper understanding as Lessing the writer by glorifying works that may be more commonly overlooked. This text may also offer other works of Lessings for different peoples tastes.

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "The Golden Notebook." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Lessing develops an idea of feminism through The Golden Notebook, as Anna Wulf struggles with an exasperating ex-husband and begins to think her identity lies with the man she lies with. This article notes The Golden Notebook as a work that effectively expresses feminism in a time when it was not common. Lessing is able to have characters find identity in the most physiological way. The text also notes that Lessing is very frank with language, with the common occurrences of explaining intimate scenes. The article analyzes Lessings projection of female characters being just that: females.

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Snodgrass critiques the novel as influential and structurally adequate. The author recognizes that Lessings novel may be a work of feminism, but this theme is something even her characters struggle with. The text is helpful to those looking for briefness in a way that hands information on the gender roles of the novel and the inner workings of Lessings characters.

Stade, George, and Karen Karbiener. "Lessing, Doris." Encyclopedia of British Writers, 1800 to the Present, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. (Updated 2011.) Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Doris Lessing is one of the most influential feminist writers of her time. Along with feminism come other uncommon topics such as communism and Sufism which she weaves into her novels, making them intriguing to readers. Life experience influences her novels, even her works of fiction. Writing for more than fifty years and coming up with remarkable works of literature, Lessing very well deserved her Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Overall, this article expresses Lessing as an intellectual writer, and an inspiration to cause. The article gives vast information on Lessing as an influence to the feminist world today. It offers other prominent novels that provide additional topics others may find interest in. The article is accessible to those who wish to seek further into Lessings work, maybe through her influence in The Golden Notebook or just as a woman who writes in a relatable manner through life experience and deep intellectual thought.