A Foucauldian Approach to Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook and Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 14 - 40, 30.12.2025

Uğur Yetgin , Seda Pekşen

Abstract

This article presents a Foucauldian reading of Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook and Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other, focusing on how female protagonists resist dominant power structures and societal norms. Through the theoretical framework of Michel Foucault—particularly the concepts of power-knowledge, resistance, freedom, and the care of the self—the study analyzes the ways in which characters such as Anna, Molly, Marion, Amma, and Megan/Morgan confront and subvert patriarchal expectations. The analysis reveals how these characters assert self-agency and pursue personal transformation by challenging hegemonic discourses and redefining their identities. Despite differing cultural and historical contexts, the protagonists share a common struggle for autonomy and liberation within oppressive systems. Their narratives demonstrate the capacity of individuals to resist institutional power, reconstruct subjectivity, and reclaim their voices in male-dominated societies. Ultimately, the article highlights the transformative potential embedded in these literary works, offering critical insights into the dynamic interplay between individual freedom and structural power through a Foucauldian lens.

Keywords

Foucauldian , power-knowledge , resistance , discourse , care of the self

Ethical Statement

This article is an outcome of Uğur Yetgin’s MA dissertation entitled “A Foucauldian Reading of Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook and Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other” with the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Seda PEKŞEN

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