| The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five | |
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US first edition cover (Alfred A. Knopf) |
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| Author(s) | Doris Lessing |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Canopus in Argos |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Publication date | 1980 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 299 |
| ISBN | 0-394-50914-5 |
| OCLC Number | 5171635 |
| Dewey Decimal | 823/.9/14 |
| LC Classification | PZ3.L56684 Map 1980 PR6023.E833 |
| Preceded by | Shikasta |
| Followed by | The Sirian Experiments |
The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five is a 1980 science fiction novel by Nobel Prize in Literature-winner Doris Lessing. It is the second book in her five-book Canopus in Argos series.
The story is narrated by the Chroniclers of Zone Three and concerns two ordained marriages that link the patriarchal and militaristic Zone Four with the matriarchal and egalitarian Zone Three, and the tribal and barbaric Zone Five.[1] It focuses on the "struggles between men and women and the dimensions of sex and love",[2] which, according to Time Lessing has never written "with more sweetness, compassion and wisdom."[2] The story is told largely from the point of view of the utopian Zone Three, which places the novel in the category of feminist utopias[3] or feminist science fiction.[4]
The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five can be read as a stand-alone book, although it does take place in Zones introduced in Shikasta (1979), the first book of the Canopus series.
Contents |
First described in Shikasta, six metaphysical Zones (akin to cosmological planes) encircle the planet Shikasta (an allegorical Earth). These "concentric shells" (numbered One to Six) each represent different "levels of spiritual being."[5] Shikasta only deals with Zone Six, the innermost and least pure of the Zones which is "...a kind of purgatory in which humans wait out the time between incarnations on earth..."[3]
In The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five, Lessing describes some of the higher Zones as self-contained "countries", each with their own "societies" that have evolved independently of the others over time. Adjacent Zones in the sequence border each other, from Zone Six (the lowest) up to Zone One (the highest and purest), each with "increasingly mountainous topography."[3]
Crossing the frontiers from one Zone to another is possible, but generally avoided as straying too close to the border leaves one feeling ill-at-ease and sometimes even physically sick. For those who need to move into another Zone, special shields are provided for protection against the debilitating effects of the foreign atmosphere (both physical and ideological).[6]
The story opens when the Providers, the invisible and unidentified rulers of all the Zones,[a] order that Al•Ith, queen of the peaceful paradise of Zone Three, marry Ben Ata, king of the militarized and repressive Zone Four. Al•Ith is repulsed by the idea of consorting with a barbarian, and Ben Ata does not want a righteous queen disturbing his military campaigns. Nevertheless, Al•Ith descends to Zone Four and they reluctantly marry. Ben Ata is not used to the company of women he cannot control, and Al•Ith has difficulty relating to this ill-bred man, but in time they grow accustomed to each other and gain new insights into each other's Zones. Al•Ith is appalled that all of Zone Four's wealth goes into its huge armies, leaving the rest of its population poor and underdeveloped. Ben Ata is astounded by the fact that Zone Three has no army at all.
The marriage bears a son, Arusi, the future heir to the two Zones. Some of the women of Zone Four, led by Dabeeb (wife of Jarnti, Ben Ata's commander-in-chief), step in to help Al•Ith. Suppressed and downtrodden, these women relish being in the presence of the queen of Zone Three. But soon after the birth of Arusi, and just when Al•Ith and Ben Ata are growing fond of each other, the Providers order Al•Ith back to Zone Three and Ben Ata to marry Vahshi, the queen of the primitive Zone Five. Both are devastated by this news.
Back in Zone Three, Al•Ith finds that not only have her people forgotten her, her sister, Murti• has taken over as queen. Disturbed by the changes she sees in Al•Ith, Murti• exiles her to the frontier of Zone Two. Al•Ith, drawn by its allure, tries to enter Zone Two, but finds an unworldly and inhospitable place and is told by invisible people that it is not her time yet. At the frontier of Zone Five, Ben Ata reluctantly marries Vahshi, a tribal leader of a band of nomads who terrorise the inhabitants of Zone Five. But Ben Ata's marriage to Al•Ith has changed him and he disbands most of his armies, sending the soldiers home to rebuild their towns and villages and uplift their communities. He also slowly wins over Vahshi's confidence and persuades her to stop plundering Zone Five.
When Arusi is old enough to travel, Dabeeb and her band of women decide to take him to Zone Three to see Al•Ith. This cross-border excursion is not ordered by the Providers and Ben Ata has grave misgivings about their decision. In Zone Three the women are shocked to find the deposed Al•Ith working in a stable near Zone Two. While Al•Ith is pleased to see her son, she too has misgivings about Dabeeb's action. The bumptious women's travels through Zone Three evokes feelings of xenophobia in the locals.
After five years of silence, the Providers instruct Ben Ata to go and see Al•Ith. But at the border he is surprised to find a band of Zone Three youths armed with crude make-shift weapons blocking his way. Clearly they want no more incursions from Zone Four. Ben Ata returns with a large army and enters Zone Three unchallenged. While he is not well received, he discovers that Al•Ith has a small but growing band of followers who have moved to the frontier of Zone Two to be close to her. When Ben Ata finds Al•Ith they are reunited like old lovers. He tells her of the reforms he has introduced in Zone Four and his taming of the "wild one" from Zone Five.
One day, and not unexpectedly, Al•Ith visits Zone Two and does not return. But the changes set in motion by the two marriages are now evident everywhere. The frontiers between Zones Three, Four and Five are open and people and knowledge are flowing between them. Previously stagnant, the three Zones are now filled with enquiry, inspiration and renewal.
The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five was adapted for the opera in 1997 by composer Philip Glass with story-libretto by Doris Lessing.[7][8] The two-act opera, for orchestra, chorus and soloists first premiered in Heidelberg, Germany, in May 1997 under the direction of Thomas Kalb (music) and Birgitta Trommler (stage). The first United States premier was in June 2001 at the Merle Reskin Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, and was directed by Harry Silverstein.[8]
In 1986, Glass had adapted another of Lessing's books from this series for the opera, The Making of the Representative for Planet 8.
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