THE CIRCULAR STRUCTURE OF LESSING’S BRIEFING FOR A DESCENT INTO HELL

Abstract

Dorris Lessing’s Briefing for a Descent into Hell presents a circular journey that the protagonist Charles Watkins, a Classics professor goes through. Taken in a hospital, Charles suffers from amnesia. Ironically what he has forgotten seems to have made him ready for the journey that he is about to take into his inner self. As the novel progresses, it is made clear that this journey is not to be taken to remember the orthodoxy that he has forgotten but to remember what orthodoxy has made him forget. Through this journey, Charles Watkins gathers bits and pieces of information on what has been made to forget. While the novel thematically revolves around this issue of inner journey into the self, structurally the novel revolves around the same or similar patterns that are being established in the course of the novel. In this way, while Charles is on his own journey, the reader is also forced to take part in his journey as he/ she is forced to work out his or her way through the similar patterns to make meaning through the reading process. Charles and the reader find certain variations of a similar pattern in themes, narration and in the symbolism that all suggest the circularity of the whole novel. In each time Charles and the reader goes through the similar patterns, a new link is made to the already existent knowledge, leading to a self that knows more itself than it has never experienced before.

Keywords

• Dorris Lessing
• Briefing for a Descent into Hell
• circular
• structure
• symbolism
• narration
• structuralism
• archetypes
• Sufis

THE CIRCULAR STRUCTURE OF LESSING’S BRIEFING FOR A DESCENT INTO HELL

Öz

Dorris Lessing’s Briefing for a Descent into Hell presents a circular journey that the protagonist Charles Watkins, a Classics professor goes through. Taken in a hospital, Charles suffers from amnesia. Ironically what he has forgotten seems to have made him ready for the journey that he is about to take into his inner self. As the novel progresses, it is made clear that this journey is not to be taken to remember the orthodoxy that he has forgotten but to remember what orthodoxy has made him forget. Through this journey, Charles Watkins gathers bits and pieces of information on what has been made to forget. While the novel thematically revolves around this issue of inner journey into the self, structurally the novel revolves around the same or similar patterns that are being established in the course of the novel. In this way, while Charles is on his own journey, the reader is also forced to take part in his journey as he/ she is forced to work out his or her way through the similar patterns to make meaning through the reading process. Charles and the reader find certain variations of a similar pattern in themes, narration and in the symbolism that all suggest the circularity of the whole novel. In each time Charles and the reader goes through the similar patterns, a new link is made to the already existent knowledge leading to a self that knows more itself than it has never experienced before.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Dorris Lessing
• Briefing for a Descent into Hell
• circular
• structure
• symbolism
• narration
• structuralism
• archetypes
• Sufis

Kaynakça

1. Bolling, Douglas. (1974), “Structure and Theme in Briefing for a Descent into Hell” in Doris Lessing Critical Studies. Ed. Annis Pratt. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press.
2. Campbell, Joseph. (1972), “Mythology and Schizophrenia” in Myths to Live By. New York: Viking.
3. Frye, Northrop. (2002), Anatomy of Criticism. UK: Penguin Books.
4. Jaffé, Aniela. (1964), “Symbolism in the Visual Arts” Man and His Symbols. New York. Achor Books.
5. Lessing, Doris. (1971), Briefing for a Descent into Hell. New York: Vintage. Books.
6. Rubenstein, Roberta. (2003), “Briefing for a Descent into Hell” in Doris Lessing. Ed. Harold Bloom. USA: Chelsea House Publishers.
7. Shah, Idries. (2001). The Sufis. Great Britain: Book Craft Ltd.