The Intersection of Personal Experience and Literary Creation of Harper Lee’s Novels
Keywords:
Harper Lee, Genetic Structuralism, Southern American Society, Personal ExperienceAbstract
This study explores the intersection between personal experience and literary creation in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) and Go Set a Watchman (2015) using a descriptive qualitative approach grounded in Lucien Goldmann’s Genetic Structuralism. Through close textual analysis supported by biographical and historical interpretation, the research examines how Lee’s lived experience and socio-historical context shape narrative structure, character construction, and ideological expression. The findings indicate that Lee’s childhood in the racially segregated American South, her family background, and her social observations strongly influence the depiction of Maycomb, the development of Jean Louise Finch, and the thematic focus on racial injustice and moral responsibility. The study also reveals that editorial intervention played a crucial role in transforming Go Set a Watchman into To Kill a Mockingbird, resulting in a more coherent narrative structure and a redefined portrayal of Atticus Finch. Overall, the study demonstrates that Harper Lee’s enduring literary significance lies in her ability to transform personal memory and historical reality into fiction that offers profound insight into the social and moral complexities of Southern American society.
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