Fragmented selves, madness and writing: An analysis of intellectual women's Dilemma in Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook, and Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar

The aim of this study is to analyse the intellectual woman?s position in society as reflected in Doris Lessing?s The Golden Notebook (1962) and in Sylvia Plath?s The Bell Jar (1963). This thesis examines why Lessing?s and Plath?s creative women experience a dilemma as to whether to fulfill their literary aspirations or their societal roles as mother and wife, and discusses the oucomes of this dilemma. The main argument is that the artist woman suffers from a sense of fragmented self because of the patriarcal society?s rejection of her creative powers, and this fragmentation results in her descent into madness. But it is through madness by which the intellectual woman gains an awareness and her identity as artist gives her the courage to defy male-centred culture. Consequently, the woman artist eliminates her dilemma and appreciates her intellectual capacity.This study falls into five parts. In the first chapter, feminist literary criticism is introduced. The second chapter explores the relationship between woman and madness, and points out that woman?s endeavour to free herself from the oppression of patriarchal society is labelled as madness. The third and fourth chapters are devoted to the analyses of Lessing?s and Plath?s intellectual heroines? dilemmas. Finally, the last chapter reaches the conclusion that even though the intellectual woman always struggles not only with the pressure of society but also with her doubts about herself, she never lets them defeat her and never fails to recognize the value of her creativity.