The novel's first line, "the two women were alone in the London flat," is a wellrecognized beginning scene for much of Lessing's fiction. Repeatedly Lessing has presented a pair of women at the beginning of her works, including Martha Quest and A Proper Marriage.

Unlike the omniscient narrative of her earlier "Children of Violence" novels featuring Martha Quest, Lessing employs a different strategy in The Golden Notebook. By providing a character whose writing is fragmented with so many points of view, Lessing allows a greater understanding of narrative voice that also reflects the theme. Form mirrors content more clearly.

Lessing's explorations, including her initial novel The Grass Is Singing, indicate an emphasis on the psychic distortion of perception—that, in fact, perception of reality is illusory and necessarily subjective.

IDEAS FOR GROUP DISCUSSIONS 2. How does the structure of the novel The growth of psychology-related professions...