Abstract

Doris Lessing (1919—2013), the 2007 Nobel Prize winner for Literature, was acclaimed as a wonderful writer with a fascinating and original mind. One of her best-known works The Summer before the Dark is intellectually incisive and full of original insights, in which Lessing explores women mental crisis and stimulates the reader with her truthful storytelling of humanity in their naked faces. Scholars at home and abroad have mainly focused on feminism reflected in the text. The protagonist’s process to the integrated Jung’s self, however, is neglected. Therefore, this thesis attempts to interpret this novel from the perspective of Jung’s archetypal theory. Firstly, through the analysis of archetypes, it discloses the tensions between the main character and society. Struggled between the domestic roles and her unconscious, the protagonist Kate is well on her way to self-discovery. Secondly, the rich symbolic images on her journey to self-realization suggest the confusion Kate has encountered as well as the progress of individuation she finally achieves. The Jungian approach to the novel reveals the deep connotation of the life, marriage, family and self. Thus the archetypal reading enhances the novel’s readability and profundity, and helps to explain why this novel has stood out as a classic.

Key words: Doris Lessing; The Summer before the Dark; Jungian archetypal theory; individuation; archetypal images

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-2

3. Jung’s Archetypal Theory-3

4. The Archetypes in The Summer before the Dark-4

4.1 Persona: the Public Self of Kate-4

4.2 Shadow: the Private Self of Kate-6

4.3 Animus: Kate’s Lover and Her Husband-7

4.4 Self: Kate’s Journey to Individuation-8

5. The Archetypal Images in The Summer before the Dark-9

5.1 The Seal Dream-10

5.2 The Summer-11

5.3 The Darkness-11

5.4 The Bird-12

6. Conclusion-13

Works Cited-14