Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 1980

Publication Title

Doris Lessing Newsletter

Volume

4

Issue

2

Pages

10-11, 14-15

Abstract

(First paragraph) British reviews of Doris Lessing's second novel in her "Canopus in Argos: Archives" series, The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four, and Five, were more favorable than those of the first novel, Shikasta. However, compared with comments about Shikasta, both negative and positive remarks about Marriages were less perceptive and more often blatantly inaccurate, perhaps because a novel dealing with male-fem ale relationships draws forth in reviewers and other readers the multitude of misconceptions and prejudices that abound on this topic. Moreover, although reviewers obviously enjoyed reading Marriages more than they did Shikasta, their praise lacked the intensity and enthusiasm that characterized the praise of the first book. This could suggest that although Marriages is a better novel, it is not necessarily a greater one.

Comments

Posted open access with the permission of the publisher.

Original Publication Citation

Bazin, N. T. (1980). British reviews of Marriages. Doris Lessing Newsletter, 4(2), 10-11, 14-15.

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