We are goind to study an extract from the Fifth Child, a novel by Dorris Lessing. This passage is set at the beginning of the novel. After an office end of year party, Harriet and David, two lovers, decided to get married and buy a house in which they will have many children. In this passage they’re visiting a huge victorian house in the countryside. However, in this passage, there is clearly a change of mood. In the first part of the text happiness prevails whereas in the second part we can feel tension and fear.

In the fisrt part, lines 1 to 34 happiness prevails. In order to create an happy atmosphere, Dorris Lessing set this passage in spring, season of love. Indeed we know that “birds singing all around them”, there is a “chilly rain of early spring”. Too, a garden is described by Dorris Lessing, that can make us think of Eden’s Garden of the two lovers Adam and Eve : in the novel Harriet and David can symbolize Eve and Adam, and the garden of their house a peaceful place to live. Moreover, Harriet and David are represented as an entity “ they stood hand in hand “, therefore we see the house throught Harriet and David’s eyes; Dorris Lessing uses “they” not “she” or “he”, and the words “both”, “theirs” it prove that they are a unit couple. Altought they don’t talk, they looks very happy to be here with the repetition of “smile”, “smiling” ; they’re deeply moved because it’s love at first sight with this house, they have “tears in their eyes”, “their hearts thudding with happiness”, “hardly breathing”, “gently,softy” visiting the house is a moment of intimitcy for them. Besides, we know that Harriet and David want a big house because the envisage to have many children so they imagine their future children in each rooms, it’s precise that they can “see and hear” the children they will have. They are, quickly, self-confident about her future and the house seems perfect for them because she's 'old-fashioned" like the lovers. Owing to the lexical field