Study Guide to The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing

A comprehensive study guide offering in-depth explanation, essay, and test prep for Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook, regarded by The Oxford Companion to English Literature as one of the key texts of the women’s movement of the 1960s.


As a uniquely structured four-part novel published in 1962, The Golden Notebook focuses on the idea of fragmentation, both in the structure of the book and the content. Moreover, the novel discusses big picture topics such as mental health, communism, and women’s sexuality. This Bright Notes Study Guide explores the context and history of Lessing’s classic work, helping students to thoroughly explore the reasons it has stood the literary test of time. Each Bright Notes Study Guide contains:


- Introductions to the Author and the Work

- Character Summaries

- Plot Guides

- Section and Chapter Overviews

- Test Essay and Study Q&As


The Bright Notes Study Guide series offers an in-depth tour of more than 275 classic works of literature, exploring characters, critical commentary, historical background, plots, and themes. This set of study guides encourages readers to dig deeper in their understanding by including essay questions and answers as well as topics for further research.