Narrative Authority and Homeostasis in the Novels of Doris Lessing and Carmen Martín Gaite

First published in 1990, this book assesses a shift in the presentation of self-consciousness in 2 pairs of novels by Doris Lessing and Carmen Martín Gaite: 1) The Summer Before the Dark (1973) and Retahílas (1974) and 2) The Memoirs of a Survivor (1974) and The Back Room (1978).

Linda E. Chown

Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction Section 1: Lives 1. The Tellers Section 2: Women and Authority 2. Feministics 3. Depsychologicalization 4. Narrating "She" and "I" Section 3: Midlife 5. Midlife in Literature 6. Mind of One's Own Section 4: Language and the Tales 7. The Ways of Language 8. Through a Wall Darkly 9. On the Edge. Conclusion. Epilogue. Bibliography.