The Realization of Figure-ground Relationship in Lessing's The Golden Notebook

Figure-ground phenomenon is a very important notion of gestalt theory. It refers to the characteristic organization of perception into a figure that "stands out" against an undifferentiated background. Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook solidified her position as a central figure in the English literature. In the novel, she skillfully parodies the myth of Oedipus and Sisyphus, as well as Joyce's Ulysses to realize her profound thinking and exploration in literature, language, psychology, mythology. According to the figure-ground theory, this paper will mainly focus on the readers' psychological cognitive mechanisms involved in comprehending literary discourse and conclude that figure and ground is the fundamental characteristic of literary analysis, in hope of providing a fresh perspective for studying literary works.