‘Harriet and David met each other at an office party neither had particularly wanted to go to’ to ‘they were made for each other’.

INTRO

This is the opening passage of the novel The Fifth Child, in which Lessing introduces the reader to the two main protagonists, Harriet and David. She begins at the very “beginning” of “their” story, focusing on the moment they first met and fell in love. The scene is set at an end of year office party in Sixties London.

There are five main parts to this passage.

1. A description of the party and the people there, including a comment on what people think of Harriet and David.

2. A description of Harriet.

3. A description of David, through Harriet’s eyes.

4. A summary of their previously incomplete and meaningless lives before this "moment they had been waiting for."

5.The actual moment of meeting, which includes a "happy ending".

Lessing has one clear, overriding objective in the opening of her novel - she wishes to show Harriet and David at the defining moment in their adult lives - the moment that they meet for the first time. The office party is a moment of historic importance in their personal lives because it is the moment where they go from being alone in the world, to finding a "soul mate". The office party is, in all senses of the word, the true "beginning" of their story.

At the same time, by the end of this passage, Lessing wants the reader to have a good understanding of her two main characters. She wants to show what brings them together, and what "separates" and distinguishes them from the people around them. She also wishes to capture the atmosphere of an office party in sixties London.

In the first part of my presentation, I shall deal with Lessing's description of Harriet and David in the opening of the novel. Then I will discuss and explain the presence of the fairytale elements in the text. Lastly, I will discuss the narrative voice in this passage and its overall importance in