On Jane Austens View of Marriage.docx

On Jane Austens View of Marriage.docx

《On Jane Austens View of Marriage.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《On Jane Austens View of Marriage.docx（10页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

OnJaneAustensViewofMarriage

OnJaneAusten’sViewofMarriage

Ⅰ.Introduction

JaneAustenwasoneofthegreatestrealisticnovelistsinEnglishliteratureinthe19thcentury.Duringtheforty-twoyearsofherlife,Austenhadcompletedsixnovelsandleftbehindthreefragments.Inherworks,Austenvividlyrevealedtheclassrelationship,socialcustomsandmoralsofhertimebymeticulouslyandhumorouslydepictingthelifeoftheruralgentryatthattime.Austen’scarefulcraftsmanshiphasenabledhernovelstobepopularwithreadersineverygenerationsincetheywerefirstproduced.Duringthepasttwohundredyears,Austen’sartisticcharmhasremainedunchangedinspiteofthechangeofreader’sliterarytaste.VirginiaWoolfoncewrotethatofallgreatwritersJaneAustenwasthemostdifficulttocatchintheactofgreatness.（Woolf15）InthetwentiethcenturyJaneAusten’s“greatness”hasneverbeenchallenged.

MarriageofAusten’stimeactuallywasakindoffoundationstoneanditsfunctionwasmainlythekeytotheconnectionoffortune,thedecisionofrelationandtherightofinheritance.（Wilkes84）Whatitvaluedwastobematchedformarriage.NowadaysthemarriageforloveisdifferentfromJaneAusten’stime.Itneedsequalityandfreedominanyaspect.Ahappymarriageshouldbebasedontruelove.Inmodernpeople’sviewofmarriageisthatamarriageeitherformoneyorforlustisanunhappyone.Thoughpropertyandsocialstatusplayanimportantroleinmarriage.Itisopposedtobesimplyformoney.

Accordingtothesociologicalcriticalapproach,everyliteraryworkiscloselyrelatedtothesocialenvironment,theage,thereligionandthecustomstowhichitbelongs.Inotherwords,everyliteraryworkcontainsmuchculturalcontent.Alltheworkswhichdonotbelongtoourtimeandourculturedemandustobeinvolvedintheirtimeandculturewhenwereadthem,otherwisetheseworkswillbecomeincomprehensibleandmeaninglesstous.Ontheotherhand,socialstructure,especiallytheeconomicfoundation,greatlyaffecteveryliterarywork.KarlMarxthinksthatliteratureisessentiallybasedonthesocialexistenceandatrueunderstandingofaliteraryworkshouldproceedfromtheunderstandingofthesocialstructurethatisembodiedinit.Literatureisthereflectionoftherealsociallife.Partofthewriter’staskistoshowtherealityofaparticularsocialperiod.Excellentliteraryworksarealwaysrelatedtoallkindsofsociallives.Asarealisticnovelist,JaneAusten’sviewofmarriageexpressedinherworksisactuallyatrueportrayalofthemaritalstatusinhertime,especiallyofwomenofthegentry.Behindthecomicplots,therewasthesorrowfulsocialrealitythatwomen’sfatesweredeterminedbytheireconomicconditionsandmostofthemwereconstrainedbytheso-called“accomplishedlady”concept.AgoodanalysisofAusten’sviewofmarriagewillhelpusfurtherunderstandthatwomen’spositioninAusten’stimewasverylowandwhethertheywouldmarryagoodhusbanddependedontheireconomicfoundationtosomedegree.Besides,aftertheanalysis,wemayfindoutsomereasonswhyJaneAustendidnotmarryallherlife.

ThispaperistoanalyzetheeconomicstatusandpropertyelementsthatinfluencedtheirmarriageandthuswecanobtainafurtherunderstandingofJaneAusten’sviewofmarriage.Heridealmarriagewasthatwecannotmarryformoneyorregardmarriageasagame.Sheadvocatedthemarriageforbothloveandeconomicconsiderationwithloveplayingtheleadingrole.Meanwhile,shealsoexposedthattheessentialsofbourgeoismarriagewereadealofmoneyandacombinationofbenefitunderthepatriarchy.

Ⅱ.FourDifferentMarriagesinPrideandPrejudice

A.Elizabeth’sMarriage—withBothLoveandMoney

Elizabethisherfather’sfavoritedaughter,havinginheritedhiswitandintelligence.Mr.Darcy,anextremelywealthyaristocrat,isproud,haughtyandextremelyconsciousofclassdifferencesatthebeginningofthenovel.WhenhefirstmeetstheBennets,helaughsthemtoscorn.AttheballinMeryton,wheretheymaketheacquaintanceofeachother,Mr.Darcyisquicklyjudgedas“theproudest,mostdisagreeablemanintheworld”（Austen7）becauseofhisreserveandunwillingnesstodancewithanyoneoutsideofhisownparty.HeisrudetoquiteMissElizabeth.WhenbothDarcyandElizabetharesittingoutadanceandBingleyattemptstopersuadehimtodancewithher,ElizabethoverhearsDarcy’sreply“Sheistolerable;butnothandsomeenoughtotemptme.”（Austen8）Littlebylittle,uponfurtheracquaintanceMr.DarcybeginstotakeaninterestinElizabeth,attractedbyherdarkeyesandthe“easyplayfulness”ofhermannersandfallsinlovewithElizabeth,thesecondoldestoffivesisters,whoislively,quick-witted,sharp-tongued,boldandintelligent.Elizabethisgood-looking,andisespeciallydistinguishedbyherfineeyes.Shehasprideinherabilitytoperceivethetruthofsituationsandofpeople’scharacters.However,herperceptiveabilityfailherfrequentlybecausesheisinfluencedbyvanityandjudgespeoplerashly.Inspiteofhersenseandgoodmanners,sheisdeceivedbyhandsomeMr.Wickham,whoisquicklyjudgedtobeaperfectlygoodandamiablemanbecauseofhisfriendlinessandtheeaseofhismanners.HeinitiallyshowsapreferenceforElizabeth,andsheispleasedbyhisattentionsandinclinedtobelievehisstoryaboutDarcy.

BytheendofthenovelsheovercomesherprejudicethroughherdealingswithDarcy.Darcydoes,however,haveastrongsenseofhonorandvirtue.Elizabeth’srebukesafterhisfirstproposaltoherhelphimtorecognizehisfaultsofprideandsocialprejudice.Itis,infact,preciselybecauseElizabethisnotsoawedbyhishighsocialstatusastobeafraidtocriticizehischaracterthatheisattractedtoher.Theself-knowledgeacquiredfromElizabeth’srebukesandthedesiretowinElizabeth’slovespurhimtochangeandjudgepeoplemorebytheircharacterthanbytheirsocialclass.ForElizabeth,whenshebeginstoseethatshejudgedDarcycompletelywrongly,andshegrowsashamed,concludingthatshehasbeenblind,partial,prejudiced,absurd,inspiteofthefactthatshehasalwayspridedherselfonherjudgment.Sherealizesthatvanityhasbeenthecauseofherprejudice.ElizabethrealizedthathercompletelackofobjectivityinjudgingDarcyandWickhamistheresultofthefactthatDarcyinjuredherprideonherfirstacquaintancewithhimandthatWickhamflatteredherbyhispreferenceforher.

Austenmadeitclearthatprideandprejudicearenotreallytwoseparateproblemsinthenovel,butthattheyareintimatelyconnected.ForitisElizabeth’spridethatleadstoherprejudice,aprejudicewhichissostrongthatshehastoreadthetruth.ItisclearthatreflectiononthecontentsofDarcy’sletterhavemadeElizabethchangeherfeelingstowardhimconsiderably.WhenshevisitsPemberley,shecannothelpthinkingofwhatitwouldbeliketobethemistressofsuchabeautifulhouse.ShetellsherselfthatshedoesnotregretherrefusalofDarcy’sproposal.Butthemoresheseesofthehouseandthemoreshelearnsabouthisamiableandgenerouscharacterfromhishousekeeper,thelessfirmherresolveagainsthimbecomes.AfterLydiaandWickham’selopement,ElizabethisquitesurethatDarcywillnevermarryherandsufferthroughbeingWickham’sbrother-in–law.WhensheknowswhatDarcyhasdoneforherfamily,sheseeshowperfecttheywouldbeforeachotherandwouldreadilysayyestohispreviousproposal.Yetunfortunately,itistoolateoratleastElizabeththinksso.ElizabethdosenotbelievethatDarcy’sassistancetoLydiawasmotivatedbyhisregardforher,butthisdoesseemstobeaverylikelymotivation.Anyway,LadyCatherine’sunexpectedvisithelpsthecouple.Ironically,LadyCatherine’sattempttopreventElizabethandDarcy’smarriageonlyservestogivehopetoElizabethofDarcy’scontinuedaffection.Intheend,ElizabethandDarcygetmarriedandenduphappiest.

Elizabethdaredowhatotherwomenofthesameclassdarenot.AgreatdealofcourageisneededforhertorefusetheproposalbyMr.CollinandMr.Darcy.Afterallsheisagirlwithoutadowry.Itisobviousthatherspiritbasedonthefullunderstandingofherselfisagainsttheconventionalconceptoffamilystatusinmarriageandfortheequalitybetweenthemaleandfemale.Nowonderthatsheistreatedastheprotagonistofthenovel.Shehopesthathermarriagecanbebasedonloveandthatthecouplewillhavespiritualagreement.Suchkindofspiritwasveryrareatthattime.AlthoughElizabeth’sconceptofequalityinthefamilyisquitedifferentfromthatofthepresent,itwillnotafterourfulladmirationofAusten’sspiritagainstthefeudalhierarchyandtheinequalitybetweenmenandwomenperceivedbythecharacterElizabeth.Nevertheless,itwasunlikelyforAustentogobeyondherclasslimitationswhensheadvocatedthemaritalequalitybetweenmenandwomen.ThemostrebelliouswordsofElizabethwhenshedebateswithMrs.deBourghareonly:

“Inmarriageyournephew,Ishouldnotconsidermyselfasquittingthatsphere.Heisagentlemen;Iamagentleman’sdaughter;sofarweareequal”.（Austen247）

TheBennetfamilybelongstothecountry,gentry,therefore,Elizabethcannotdemandthetrueequalitywithoutanyclassdistinctionsowingtothelimitsofinterestsofherownclass.HerstrongestargumenttosupportherconceptofequalityisthatbothDarcyandsheherselfbelongstothesameclass.WhatwouldshesayifshebelongstoaclassmuchlowerthanDarcy’s?

However,thatdoesnotdiscolorherrebelliousspiritagainsttheinequalityimposedonherbyexternalworld.Suchrebelli