Lessing, Doris: 1919 - 2013

The Golden Notebook, 1962 - Thematic Parallels: Freedom

Lessing, Doris: The Golden Notebook, 1962, ~300pp
The topic of the novel centers on racial tensions, colonialism, and social oppression in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The novel explores the destructive effects of racism, sexism, and class divisions on both individuals and society.
The following books are thematically simliar. These texts lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Capote, Truman: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 1958, ~100pp
  This novel examines the complexities of freedom and identity, particularly for women in mid-20th-century society.
  - Both novels depict the destructive impact of colonialism on social structures, personal lives, and cultural identity. They are tragic, socially conscious explorations of individuals caught in systems of cultural, racial, and gendered oppression, and both use personal stories to illuminate the broader societal crises of their time.
- Kennedy, A.L.: Looking for the Possible Dance, 1993, ~250pp
  This novel focuses on personal liberation and psychological boundaries.
  - Despite differences in time, setting, and style, both novels are social critiques: they explore alienation, moral decay, and systemic injustice, using the lens of an individual’s experience to reveal larger societal truths. In essence, both works dissect how human behavior is shaped and constrained by societal structures, whether colonial or postcolonial.
- Sedaris, David: Me Talk Pretty One Day, 2000, ~270pp
  Essays with humor that touch on cultural and personal identity and freedom of expression.
  - Both works share a focus on colonial oppression, racial tension, cultural misunderstanding, and the psychological effects of isolation. They explore the impossibility of harmonious relations under colonial hierarchies, using personal stories to reflect broader societal critiques.
- Walker, Alice: The Color Purple, 1982, ~300pp
  This is a novel which closely examines issues of race, gender, and freedom.
  - Both novels expose the human cost of racial and social oppression, use individual tragedies to illustrate systemic injustices, and invite ethical reflection, though they differ in tone: Paton is more hopeful and redemptive, while Lessing is darker and fatalistic.
List of general discussion questions on Freedom (pdf)
List of essay prompts on Freedom (pdf)