Abstract
Even though it is a well-accepted fact that most socialists have been opposed to the one-man rule of the Stalinist
regime, described as “a whole river of blood” by Trotsky (1937), the name of Stalin is deliberately manipulated and
linked with socialism in order to implicitly charge Marxism with inherent despotic inclinations. In this context, the aim
of this study is to unearth the fossilised hierarchal structure of the Stalinist bureaucracy, to investigate the impacts of
the ideological hegemony of the Stalinist dogma on the revolutionary practices of socialist activists and to reveal that
Stalinism, above all, victimised and tyrannised socialist activists, through a close reading of Anna’s critical attitude
towards the Communist Party in Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook. This study will also focus on the role of the
left-wing writer in a mid-fifties communist milieu and examine the dogmatisation of Marxism and the widening gap
between theory and practice in left-wing politics during the Stalin era. This will provide a framework to discuss whether
the novel is actually intended or functions more as a critique of socialism or specifically of Stalinism. Over the course
of the study, some short excerpts from Lessing’s interviews and autobiographical work, Walking in The Shade: Volume
Two of My Autobiography, 1949-1962, will be used.
References
- Berlin, Isaiah. (2000). “The Arts in Russia under Stalin.” The New York Review of Books. October 19.
- Cederstrom, Lorelei. (1990). Fine-Tuning the Feminine Psyche: Jungian Patterns in the Novels of Doris Lessing. New York: Peter Lang.Derrida, J. (1976). Of Grammatology. Translated by Gayatri Spivak. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP.
- Draine, Betsy. (1980). “Nostalgia and Irony: The Postmodern Order of The Golden Notebook.” Modern Fiction Studies 26: 31-48.
- Goldman, Wendy Z. (2002). Women at the Gates: Gender and Industry in Stalin’s Russia. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
- Hoggart, Richard, and Raymond Williams. (1960). “Working-Class Attitudes.” New Left Review 1: 26-30.
- Lessing, Doris. (1994). A Small Personal Voice: Essays, Reviews, Interviews. Edited by Paul Schlueter. London: Flamingo.---. (2014). The Golden Notebook. London: Fourth Estate.
- ---. (1998). Walking In The Shade: Volume Two of My Autobiography, 1949-1962. London: Flamingo.
- Libby, Marion V. (1974). “Sex and the New Woman in The Golden Notebook.” The Iowa Review 5: 106-120.
- Schweickart, Patrocinio P. (1985). “Reading a Wordless Statement: The Structure of Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook.” Modern Fiction Studies 21: 263-279.
- Sherry, Samantha. (2012). “Censorship in Translation in the Soviet Union in the Stalin and Khrushchev Eras.” PhD Dissertation, The University of Edinburg.
- Wallach, Amei. (1991). “Censorship in the Soviet Bloc.” Art Journal 50: 75-83.
Doris Lessing’in The Golden Notebook İsimli Eseri: Sosyalizmin mi Yoksa Sosyalizmin Stalinizasyonunun mu Eleştirisi?
Abstract
Birçok Sosyalistin Stalin dönemindeki tek adam diktatörlüğüne – Trotsky (1937) bu durumu “kan deryası” olarak
isimlendirir – karşı çıktığı bilinen bir gerçek olsa da Stalin figürü Marksist dünya görüşünün despotik eğilimlere
sahip olduğunu belirtmek amacıyla bilinçli olarak manipüle edilip Sosyalizm ile ilişkilendirilmektedir. Bu noktada,
bu çalışmanın amacı, Stalinist bürokrasinin fosilleşmiş hiyerarşik yapısını, Stalinist dogmanın Sosyalist aktivistlerin
devrimci pratikleri üzerindeki ideolojik hegemonyasını ve Stalinist dünya görüşünün, her şeyden önce Sosyalistlere
zulmettiğini, Doris Lessing’in The Golden Notebook isimli eserinde Anna’nın Komünist Parti’ye olan eleştirel
yaklaşımını göz önünde bulundurarak ortaya koymaktır. Bu çalışma, aynı zamanda, 1950’lerin ortasında komünist
çevrelerdeki sol kökenli yazarların eğilimleri üzerine odaklanacak ve Stalin dönemindeki Marksist dünya görüşünün
dogmalaşmasını ve pratik ile teori arasındaki giderek büyüyen uçurumu inceleyecektir. Bu da romanın Sosyalizmin
mi yoksa Sosyalizmin Stalinizasyonunun mu eleştirisi olup olmadığını tartışmak için teorik bir zemin oluşturacaktır.
Çalışmada, Lessing’in röportajlarını da içeren otobiyografik eseri Walking in The Shade: Volume Two of My
Autobiography, 1949-1962’den alıntılar da kullanacaktır.
References
- Berlin, Isaiah. (2000). “The Arts in Russia under Stalin.” The New York Review of Books. October 19.
- Cederstrom, Lorelei. (1990). Fine-Tuning the Feminine Psyche: Jungian Patterns in the Novels of Doris Lessing. New York: Peter Lang.Derrida, J. (1976). Of Grammatology. Translated by Gayatri Spivak. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP.
- Draine, Betsy. (1980). “Nostalgia and Irony: The Postmodern Order of The Golden Notebook.” Modern Fiction Studies 26: 31-48.
- Goldman, Wendy Z. (2002). Women at the Gates: Gender and Industry in Stalin’s Russia. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.
- Hoggart, Richard, and Raymond Williams. (1960). “Working-Class Attitudes.” New Left Review 1: 26-30.
- Lessing, Doris. (1994). A Small Personal Voice: Essays, Reviews, Interviews. Edited by Paul Schlueter. London: Flamingo.---. (2014). The Golden Notebook. London: Fourth Estate.
- ---. (1998). Walking In The Shade: Volume Two of My Autobiography, 1949-1962. London: Flamingo.
- Libby, Marion V. (1974). “Sex and the New Woman in The Golden Notebook.” The Iowa Review 5: 106-120.
- Schweickart, Patrocinio P. (1985). “Reading a Wordless Statement: The Structure of Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook.” Modern Fiction Studies 21: 263-279.
- Sherry, Samantha. (2012). “Censorship in Translation in the Soviet Union in the Stalin and Khrushchev Eras.” PhD Dissertation, The University of Edinburg.
- Wallach, Amei. (1991). “Censorship in the Soviet Bloc.” Art Journal 50: 75-83.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | June 17, 2019 |
| Submission Date | June 15, 2018 |
| Acceptance Date | October 21, 2018 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2019 Volume: 36 Issue: 1 |
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