The Golden Notebook

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1962

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Before You Read

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2, Chapters 1-4

Part 3

Part 4, Chapters 1-4

Part 5

Part 6, Chapters 1-4

Part 7

Part 8, Chapters 1-4

Part 9

Part 10

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

To whom or for whom is Anna writing her notebooks? Why does Anna begin writing the notebooks in the first place?

Compare and contrast the Anna portrayed in Free Women with the Anna portrayed in her own first-person notebooks. How are the characters similar? How are they different? Support your response with evidence from the text.

What is the purpose of Free Women? Why do you think Lessing inserts a more traditional novel within the framework of the very unconventional structure of The Golden Notebook?