英文毕业论文从女性主义的角度分析《简爱》.docx
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英文毕业论文从女性主义的角度分析《简爱》
英文毕业论文--从女性主义的角度分析《简爱》
本科生毕业论文
从女性主义的角度分析《简爱》
AnAnalysisonJaneEyrefromthePerspectiveofFeminist
摘要
十九世纪英国女作家夏洛蒂.勃朗特的作品《简爱》因其独特的思想内容和表现手法,一直被看作是英国文学的经典之作。
自从作品问世以来,一直受到文学评论界的关注。
尤其是作品中对女性独立与平等的追求,使得小说中女主人公简爱的形象负载了西方妇女在19世纪开始觉醒的女性意识。
英国文学不乏叛逆女性的形象,但像简爱那样卑微、平凡、孤苦无依而又相貌平平的“弱势”女性,如此自觉地对抗强大的父权社会,算是空前的。
此篇论文从女性主义的角度出发,通过对作品中女主人公简爱的分析,揭示小说中所反映的维多利亚时期女性性别意识的觉醒和当时女性的社会地位。
在维多利亚时期女性地位得到了提高,女性意识得到了发展,但是仍然受到社会等级和社会地位的限制。
但总体来说,随着时代的发展,女性地位和女性意识都得到了不同程度的提高。
关键词:
简爱;夏洛蒂.勃朗特;女性主义;平等和自由
Abstract
CharlotteBronteisanoutstandingwomanwriterinthe19thcenturyEnglishliterature,herworkJaneEyrehasbeenregardedastheclassicsoftheEnglishliteratureduetoitsuniquecontentandwayofexpression.Sincetheworkhasbeenpublished,ithasattractedtheattentionoftheliterarycritics.Especiallythepursuitoffemaleindependenceandequality,makingtheheroinesofJane’simageloadstheWesternwomen’sawakeningoffeministconsciousnessinthe19thcentury.ThereisnolackoftheimageofrebelliouswomeninEnglishliterature,butlikeJaneEyre,ashumble,ordinary,plainbutwhohaveno“minority”women,soconsciouslyagainstthestrongpatriarchalsociety,beregardedasunprecedented.
ThispaperrevealsthewakeofthegenderconsciousandthesocialpositionofwomeninVictorianperiodthroughtheanalysisoftheheroinefromthefeministperspective.ThestatusofwomenintheVictorianperiodhasimprovedbythedevelopmentoffemaleconsciousness,butstillaffectedbysocialclassandsocialstatus.
Keywords:
JaneEyre;CharlotteBronte;female;equality;freedom
TableofContents
3.1.2CharlotteBronte'sPositioninLiteraryHistory…………………………………..7
3.2.3LiteraryValueofJaneEyre………………………………………………………9
4.3Thornfield-UprisingofFemaleConsciousness…………………………………………11
Chapter1Introduction
1.1SocialBackground
JaneEyreisoneofthefamousnovelswrittenbyCharlotteBronteinthe19thcenturyanditisamongmyfamousnovels.Sinceitspublication,ithasattractedalotofattention.Fromtheliteraturereview,thethesisoftheworkisaboutfeminism.Inthelaterpartofthetwentiethcentury,itbecomescommonforliterarycriticstopayattentiontofeministelementsinCharlotteBronte’snovels.FeministfirstappearedinFrance;theFrenchRevolutionchallengedsocialinequalitiesandopeneddoorsforwomen’sfightforequality.AsslaveryinAmericabecamewidespreadintheearly1800s,manyscholarschallengeditsexistence.Womeninthisperiodarelargelyconfinedtohomeandareexpectedtomarryinordertosecurestatesandprivilege.In1848,StantonandMottcallthefirstSenecaFallsConventionforwomen’srightswhichcallsforwomen’srighttovoteandstatesthatallmenandwomenarecreatedequal.JaneEyrewaspublishedin1847alongwiththedevelopmentofthewomenmovement.
Thewriter,CharlotteBrontehadbeenraisedbythefatherwhotaughthischildrentothinkforthemselves.Shelearnedtotrustherinstinctsthatencouragedhertobelievethatwomen,aswellasmen,hadaneedtodream,toexplore,thatthey“needexercisefortheirfaculties,andafieldfortheireffortsasmuchastheirbrothersdo”(CharlotteBronte,1992:
130).Hermotherdiedin1821,leavingthechildreninthecareoftheiraunt.Livingintherectory,shehadlittletodootherthanreadandwrite.Thelonelinesssheexperiencedwasclearlyacute.
1.2MotivationsandObjectives
InVictoriantimes,CharlotteBrontewasamongthefirstfeministwriters.Thiswasthetimethatthewomenwerelookeddownuponbythesociety.Theyhadfewrightsandfewoptionsopentothemforself-support.Formostwomentheonlywaytolivedecentlywastogetmarried,andinmanycases,itwasnotuptothewomentochoosewithwhomshemarried.Forthemostpart,awomanwasnotgiventheopportunitytogotoschoolandearnadegreeunlessshewasbornintoahighsocialclass.TheaverageVictorianwomanwastreatednotasaperson,butasan
objectorpieceofproperty.Shehadveryfewrightseitherinsociety,ormarriage.InJaneEyre,themaincharacter,Jane,exploresthedepthatwhichwomenmayactinsocietyandfindsherownboundariesinVictorianEngland.JaneEyreisanovelaboutonewoman’sjourneythroughlife,soshedescribedJane’sexperienceindetailtoshowtheinferiorityofthewomanandthepovertyofthesociety.ButJaneissuchself-respect,independentanddecisivewoman.Herfemaleconsciousnessandherstrugglingexperiencesetabrilliantexampleforthefemaleworldwide.Herspiritencourageswomantofightforliberation.Asagreatbook,JaneEyrenotonlyawakesitsearlyreadersoftheVictoriansAge,butalsoencouragesthemodernwomen.JaneEyretellsnotonlywhatanindependentwomanislikebutalsowhatasuccessfulwomanshoulddo.Throughtheaboveanalysis,wecanknowthattheauthorofJaneEyrecreatedsuccessfullyatypicalwomancharacterwhohasthecouragetorebelandfightforfreedomandequality.
ThispaperrevealsthewakeofthegenderconsciousandthesocialpositionofwomeninVictorianperiodthroughtheanalysisoftheheroinefromthefeministperspective.Thefirstchapterintroducesthesocialbackground,thetypeandthesubjectofthework.Thesecondchapterintroducesthetheoreticalbasis,theformoffeministanditsinfluencetothecreationofthework.Thethirdchapterputsthefoundationtoanalyzethefemaleconsciousthroughthecomparisonoftheauthor’sexperienceandtheplotofthework.Thefourthchapteranalysesthemaincharacterinthreeaspects.Italsoreflectsthedevelopmentofthefemaleconsciousnessandthepursuitoftheequality.ThefifthchapteranalysesJane’spursuitofequalityandlibertyfromthefeministperspective,reflectingthe19thcenturywomen’seffecttopursuitfreedomandequalityaswellasthelimitationofthefemaleconscious.Thesixthchapteristheconclusionofthework.InVictoriantimes,women’sstatusgotdifferentimprovement,butduetorestrictionofthesocialstatus,femaleconsciousnessstillhasthelimitation.
Chapter2LiteratureReview
2.1TheDefinitionofFeminism
Theideaof“feminism”appearedseveralcenturiesago,whileeventodaythereisnoexactlydefinition.Throughoutthehistory,womenhavealwaysstruggledtogainequality,respectandthesamerightsasmen.Whatisfeminism?
Bygeneraldefinition,feminismisaphilosophyinwhichwomenandtheircontributionsarevalued.Itisbasedonsocialpoliticalandeconomicalequalityforwomen.Feminismcanalsobedescribedasamovementorarevolutionthatincludeswomenandmenwhowishtheworldtobeequalwithoutboundaries.Therearemanydifferenttypesoffeministtheoryandeachhasaprofoundimpactonwomenandgenderstudies.Thefirstisculturalfeminismwhichisthetheorythattherearefundamentalpersonalitydifferencesbetweenwomenandmen.
Mostfeministsholdabeliefthatwomanasgroupsaretreateddifferentlyfrommen.Theyaresubjecttopersonalandinstitutionaldiscrimination(StevenGoldberg,1973).Feministsbelievethatbeingfemaletoalargeextentdeterminesone’slife.Beingawomanmeanshavingacertaingender,especiallyfemininity.Feministsalsobelievedthatthesocietyisorganizedinfavorofthemen.Feministstrytoexplainthatthepowersareimbalancedduetothegenderdifference.Literaturewilloftenreflecttheculturalassumptionsandattitudesofitsperiod,ofcourseincludeattitudestowardswomen:
theirstatus,theirroles,theirexpectations.
Andfeministtheoristsaimtounderstandthenatureofinequalityandfocusongenderpolitics,powerrelations,andsexuality.Feministpoliticalactivitiesadvocateforsocial,political,andeconomicequalitybetweenthesexes.Theycampaignonissuessuchasreproductiverights,domesticviolence,maternityleave,equalpay,discriminationandsexualviolence.
Whenwetalkaboutthefeministcriticism,wemustmentionthattheword“feminism”.AccordingtotheNewEncyclopediaBritannica,“feminism”,alsocalled“feministmovement”or“women’sliberationmovement”,referstothesocialmovementsthatseekequalrightsforwomen,givingthemequalstatuswithmenandfreedomtodecidetheirowncareers
andlifepatterns.ThereareotherfivedifferentdefinitionsofFeminism:
1.Challengingthepowerstructurebetweenmenandwomen;seeingmenandwomenasgroupsratherthanindividuals.
2.Rebellingagainstandrejectingpowerstructures,institutions,laws,orsocialconventionsthatmaintainwomenassubordinate,powerless,orsecond-classcitizens.
3.Arguingagainstthedivisionoflaborthatvaluesmeninthepublicsphere(work,sports,government,law)anddevalueswomenintheprivatesphere(home,childcare,reproductivelabor,housework,maintainingfamily).
4.Workingasacollectivetofightforwomen’srightsinallfacetsofmodernlife,includingtheworkplace,sexuality,reproductiverights,fairrepresentation,andacceptanceofalternativefamilies.
5.Demandingfullrightsforallwomenandmen.
2.2ResearchBackground
Intheyearof1800s,peoplehavefewrightsandfewchances.Womenarestillregardedasthesecondclasscitizens.ButthingstochangeafterthereignofQueenVictoria.TheVictoriantimeisaperiodofdramaticchangethatbroughtEnglishtoitshighestpointofdevelopment.TheIndustrialRevolutionbringsanenormousincreaseinwealthandprovidesthetoolsforthedevelopmentaswellasserioussocialproblems.Duringthetime,womengraduallygaintherighttotheirpropertyuponmarriagethroughtheMarriedWomen’sPropertyAct,therighttodivorce.BytheendofVictoria’sreign,womencouldtakedegreesattwelveuniversities.Butgeneralconditionsforwomenarestillpoor