英语论文浅析《傲慢与偏见》中女性意识的觉醒.docx

1、英语论文浅析傲慢与偏见中女性意识的觉醒IntroductionThe story of Pride and Prejudice took place in the time of the Regency in Britain. At that time, Britain was at the period of transition from the earlier stage of Capitalism to Capitalist Industrialization. In the countryside, the aristocratic family still held great p

2、ower and right that country squires were likely to fawn upon them. However, as the development of Capitalism and the expand of the rank of rich people, the distinction between social strata was becoming smaller and smaller, while money was getting more and more important in peoples mind about social

3、 value. It is exactly because of the secure pledge in finance that the country squire society could exist strongly and solidly.The first sentence of the whole novel proclaims, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Here,

4、 “a good fortune” and “in want of” are two key phrases. “In want of” means it is needed objectively, but not subjectively. Such kind of word makes the proposition have more objectivity of “truth”. In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennets are taken as the typical to test the “truth universally acknowledge

5、d”. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have five daughters, living at Longbourn. Mr. Bennets property consists almost entirely in an estate of two thousand pounds a year, which unfortunately for his daughters is entailed in default of heirs male on a distant relation. That means there will be no other guarantee fo

6、r their daughters future lives, but their perspective marriages. Therefore, it is no wonder that Mrs. Bennet takes Mr. Bingley as “the rightful property” for their daughters when she hears about that he has one hundred thousand pounds property, though she has not even seen him “A single man of large

7、 fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!” That is the beginning of the novel. The implicit marriage mentioned here obviously concerns no feeling but only financial condition and subsistence. To those husband-hunting ladies, Mr. Bingley is an abstract signal. The most

8、important thing is that he has “a good fortune”. So we can say, to opposite with the proclamation at the beginning, so-called “ a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” is not at all “ a truth universally acknowledged”, but only Mrs. Bennets own wishful thinking. We ca

9、n also say that, as Zhu Hong pointed out, in Pride and prejudice, the real “truth universally acknowledged” is “a woman without property must be in want of a husband with a good fortune.” We first see Mr. Darcy at the ball, “He soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome f

10、eatures, noble men, and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, and of his having ten thousand a-year.” “Jane Austen (1775-1817) was born in Hampshire, a country priest family located in Hants, the village of Kingston, Sidemen in north England. She was a b

11、eautiful, talented middle class woman with extraordinary temperament and good cultivation. Her six novelsSense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Manshifeierde Manor, Emma, Persuasion all describe more than marriage.”. (Wang Shouren, P64, 2005) However, her marriage is like a bl

12、ank paper in her 42 years real lifetime. Going through the finest time, but eventually without meeting a comfortable partner, she gives up her love. Going through the sweet and bitter feeling which helps her to write the great work pride and prejudice.1Feminism1.1 A Brief Introduction of Womens Libe

13、ration Movement and FeminismThe womens movement is the social struggle, which aims to eliminate forms of oppression based on gender and to gain for women equal economic and social status, and rights to determine their own lives as are enjoyed by men. The womens movement can be traced back to Enlight

14、enment era.It is the womens movement that has brought feminism into being. In general, feminism is “a doctrine that advocates for women the same rights granted to men or a movement aimed at equal rights for feminist applies theory to the womens movement. They are closely connected with each other. I

15、t is recognized that feminist is of two meanings: One is that feminist should be aware of the unequal and unfair treatments suffered by the female in a specific society, and of the consequent helplessness and disadvantage; The other, the feminist should confirm female self-value and the sense of val

16、ue, that is, confirm female dignity, the value as an individual and the marked contribution to culture. The first stirrings of the womens movement were felt with the publication of Mary Wollstonecrafts A Vindication of the Right of Woman in 1792. (Susan M. Shaw & Janet Lee, 2001:24) Jane Austen, as

17、the feminist leader Mary Wollstonecrafts contemporary, is the first great woman writer in English literature, and represents that women are playing an increasingly important part in literary scene. In her novel Pride and Prejudice, she not only pays attention to women status in society, but also cre

18、ates a new image of women. Elizabeth, the heroine of the novel, appears as an intelligent, rebellious, independent woman. Through Elizabeth, Jane Austen expresses her attitude towards marriage and society, and her hope that women will one day become as independent as Elizabeth.1.2 The Significance o

19、f Studying Feminism It is the Womens Liberation movement, part of the other movements of our time for a fully human life that makes it possible for women to gain the same rights and chances as men. Since 1960, an upsurge in feminism has been in the making. Womens fighting for the emancipation in soc

20、iety has expanded into the emancipation in consciousness. The objective of the political feminist is to win womens equality in politics, economy and social positions. And for the cultural feminist, the focus is to confirm female self-value, experience and sense of value. The ultimate aim is to reali

21、ze emancipation in consciousness. Because the independence in economy does not mean the independence in personality, only through self-reliance, self-respect and self-effort can a woman achieve her real emancipation? It is a truth that feminist goal of emancipating women is a mighty advance in human

22、 society.And the expansion of feminism has been from the easy to the difficult, from margins to the center, from the east to the world, from politics to economics and society and culture, from the white to the colored people, from middle and upper classes to all circles. Such changes are inspiring.

23、Once Virginia Woolf commented, I am aware of the women who are not with us. Here because they are washing the dishes and looking after the children early fifty years after she spoke, the tact remains largely unchanged Nowhere it is a free choice But where it is forced because of the circumstances fo

24、r the sex into which one is born一a choice men of the same class do not have to make in order to do their work一that is not choice, that is a coercive working of sexist oppressions Some women are lucky to become teachers, writers, academicians, but many womens gifts are buried or aborted. Also for wom

25、en, creation and femininity are incompatible. When a woman achieves a great success in her work, she would meet more prejudice and envy than understanding and admiration. Married women have to admit, in Professions for Women, that they have many ghosts to fight, many Prejudices to overcome. For femi

26、nism, there is still a long way to go. Nowadays, more and more people are paying close attention to feminism Since the beginning of a study focusing on womens experiences, it has focused on analyzing patriarchy and womens limited power worldwide; bringing w omens voices into areas of knowledge where

27、 they were previously absent; building theoretical explanations for womens lower status in most of the world; and working actively for the empowerment of all women and for their ultimate equality as human beings Increasing attention to all kinds of women across differences of age, social class, race

28、, culture, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and ability has helped scholars and students to better understand the experiences of women around the globe. Now the study of feminism is stepping into a new stage. It seems that unless uniting men, women will not gain the real equality and e

29、mancipation. Indeed, certain male-dominated theories一Marxism, semiotics, structuralism, psychoanalysis一are helpful to feminism. Feminism is a subject for women who are, precisely, its subjects, the people who make it, it is their affair. Feminism is also a subject for men, what it is about obviously

30、 concerns them; they have to learn to make it their affair, to carry it through into our lives.Women and men should adjust their relationship and seek for harmony to reach a new equality. And feminism has been developing from a theory into a subject in principal culture. It breaks the convention tha

31、t human civilization is interpreted only by the male, or according to male experience. It provides the new angle and methods for the study of nature, humanities and social sciences. In the twenty-first century, feminism will surely assume a more important role.2The Feminist Limitations in Pride and

32、Prejudice2.1 Womens Education Experiencing the Industrial Revolution and long Napoleonic War, Austen wrote at a time of transition in the British class system. As more and more people in commerce became wealthy, divisions in the higher social ranks became increasingly irregular and uncertain. The he

33、reditary aristocracy was being joined by new capitalist wealth, creating a powerful stratum atop the hierarchy. Yet, though class divisions were being eroded between the aristocracy and the upper middle class and between the latter, the lesser-landed gentry, and people in business, the working class was still