浅谈《傲慢与偏见》当中所反映的女性独立.doc

浅谈傲慢与偏见当中所反映的女性独立On the Women Independence Reflected in Pride and PrejudiceContents111346778101111Abstract .Key Words.I. Introduction.II .Qualities of an Independence Woman.2.1 Sense & Confidence of Elizabeth.2.2 Elizabeths Own Standards in Her Sociability.2.3 Elizabeths Sound Judgment.2.4 Elizabeths View on Love and Marriage.2.5 Elizabeths Challenge to the Male ChauvinismIII. Conclusion.NOTES.References.摘 要： 傲慢与偏见是最受欢迎的英国小说之一。这部讽世小说以伊丽莎白与达面的幸福婚姻为主线，表达了作者的新女性观点。本文通过对小说中女主角伊丽莎白的性格进行分析，以这位超越了其所处时代的女性为例，归纳了作为一名新女性所应具备的自身条件，以期提高妇女在男权统治社会下的独立平等意识。本文分为三大部分：第一部分是作者以及这部小说的简介；其余两部分是伊丽莎白的性格分析，以及这部作品所体现的作者关于女性问题的看法。文章倡导妇女提高独立意识，以及对自身、对社会的责任感。Abstract: Pride & Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the Englishlanguage. In this satirical comedy, Elizabeth and Darcy's happy marriage is the thread, through which the author expresses her view of what qualities a "new woman" should have. By analyzing the characteristics of Elizabeth, this paper reveals the qualities of a new woman who even exceeds her time, for increasing women's awareness of equality and independence in a male-dominated society. The explanation of this subject is divided into three parts. First of all, a brief introduction of the author and her Pride & Prejudice will be the main content of the first part. The second and third parts are mainly about the characteristics of Elizabeth, and how Austen expresses her own view on women's problems in her work. This paper is to arouse the awareness of women to be independent and responsible for themselves, and the society.Key words: a new woman, qualities, characteristicsI IntroductionJane Austen (1775-1817) is one of the most important Romantic novelists in English literature. Her main literary concern is about human beings in their personal relationships. She makes trivial daily life as important as the concerns about human belief, career and salient social events. She describes the world from a woman's point of view through the relationship between men and women. As "the first women novelist who says 'No' to the male dominated society"Jane Austen makes a great impact on the development of female literature. The most typical characteristic in her works is that, she diverts people's attention from women's emotion into a series of social problems in women's eyes. Austen tries to call on "New Women" in her society and tries to increase their sense of equality and independence in a male dominated society. First published in 1813, Pride & Prejudice has consistently been Austen's most popular novel. It portrays life in the genteel rural society at the time, and shows the initial misunderstandings and later mutual enlightenment between Elizabeth Bennet and her haughty Darcy. The title Pride & Prejudice refers to the ways in which Elizabeth and Darcy first view each other. It is a story about the five Bennet sisters and their search for suitable husbands. It mainly tells the story between a rich, proud young man Darcy and the beautiful and intelligent woman Elizabeth Bennet. At the beginning of the story, Darcy comes to the neighbourhood of the Bennets with his friend Bingley and meets Elizabeth the first time at a party. With his proud and seemingly cold disposition, Darcy leaves a bad impression on Elizabeth. Because he is a man of high status and large wealth, who earns ten thousand pounds a year. However, the Bennets' economic situation is not good, and their social position is low. He thinks the Bennet sisters want to marry rich men with high status. He slights Elizabeth and hurts her dignity by refusing to dance with her. On the other hand, Elizabeth doesn't like Darcy either, only because of his arrogance and her prejudice against the upper class's rudeness. In their later meetings, however, Darcy begins to admire the girl, but Elizabeth, on account of her prejudice against him, tries to bring down his pride. Once in a town, Elizabeth makes acquaintance with Wickham, a young officer with good looks and agreeable manners, and believes his words that Darcy is a cold-blooded, selfish man, with her own suspicion about him. Later, when Darcy makes an honest proposal of marriage to Elizabeth, though he expresses his heart, his words are full of unconscious pride, his sense of her inferiority, his feeling that she should be greatly honoured by his proposal. This irritates Elizabeth and deepens her prejudice. So she rejects him promptly. But Elizabeth seems regrets for what she has said when she receives the letter from Darcy. And later, when her youngest sister Lidia has eloped with Wickham, only through the generous intervention of Darcy, who arranges to have them properly married, the Bennet family can get out of disgrace. The revelation of Darcy's generous help further assures Elizabeth of his feeling towards herself. As Elizabeth is meditating on the hopeless situation of her union with Darcy, Lady Catherine, aunt of Darcy, comes and forces Elizabeth with a promise of never consenting to marry Darcy. Out of anger and contempt for the arrogant Lady, Elizabeth refuses to promise anything. With indignation the old lady goes to her nephew, intending to give him a picture of a disrespectful, ill-mannered Elizabeth, but fortunately this enlightens Darcy about the young lady's heart and encourages him to make a second proposal, which is finally accepted by Elizabeth.Stories of love and marriage provide the major themes in Austen's novels. Her female characters are always playing an active part. And Verginia Woolf praises her as "the perfect women artist". However, she had never got married all her life. At her time, the male chauvinism was prevalent in the society. To show her responsibility as a woman to the society, Austen prefers to concentrate all her energy to produce works that reflect love and marriage that she wants. Especially in Pride & Prejudice, Elizabeth seems to be a portrait of the author herself, who stands for the image of a new woman at that time. Jane Austen and her Elizabeth are relatively portionless, they do not get a regular education but are well read, they have strong characters, and fight with the male chauvinism. At her time, male chauvinism, patriarchy, and the authority of the husband are prevailing. And female characters in novels usually have tragic lives. However, Elizabeth is an exception and she dares to challenge the male dominated society. From her we can observe the qualities of a "New Women". Actually, "New Women" was a feminist ideal that emerged in the last decades of the 19th century in Europe and North America as a reaction to the role ascribed to women in the Victorian era. The supporters' common aim was to encourage women to liberate themselves from male domination, manage their own lives, and leave behind anything that might restrict their pursuit of happiness and their self-realization. And Austen's Elizabeth exceeds her time in a certain degree. 'The following passages are going to reveal the qualities of a “New Women” in the characters of Elizabeth.II Qualities of an Independence womanActually certain characteristics were seen as pertinent to the new ideal. By general consent, a "New Woman" was supposed to be able to use her knowledge wisely, and thus be rational and confident; to show outward signs of being different by communicating under her own standards; to participate in political discussion and decision-making processes; to decide herself if, when and whom she wants to marry and how many children she wants to have; and, generally, to defy convention and social norms in order to create a better world for all.However, in the 18th century, these qualities of new women were observed in the characters of Jane Austen's Elizabeth.2.1 Sense & Confidence of ElizabethFor a new woman, social status should not control her sense and confidence. Whether she enjoys a lower or a higher class origin, she should use her knowledge wisely and keep her own sense and confidence. In the 18th century, however, most women thought marring a rich young man was their aim in life, and dancing in parties as much as they could was considered a certain step towards falling in love. At the beginning of Pride & Prejudice, such a ball was described to readers, in which Mr. Bingley, a rich bachelor, attended every woman there. But he just invited Jane, Elizabeth's elder sister, to dance a second time, which made Jane flattered. Unlike the others, the behaviors of Jane and Elizabeth at the assembly were not to please the men, although they were not rich enough. And Elizabeth had more quickness of observation than Jane, and with a judgment too, who was never surprised by compliments. With her “sense”, she mentioned her sister that Jane was the prettiest woman in the hall, and her superiority enable her every reason to be invited twice. There were other women appearing at the very beginning, who were quite different from Miss Bennet. Those were the Bingleys, who seemed to be kind to others. But in fact, they were proud and conceited and were in the habit of spending more time on associating with people of the same rank. Therefore, they, in every respect, were entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others. So when Jane was approving them, Elizabeth was disagreeing because she saw superciliousness in their treatment of everyone, including her sister, Jane. Jane and Mr. Bingley, both left good impressions on each other, but they actually had never gotten many hours together to assure their affection, and soon the Bingleys removed suddenly. After their return, a letter from Miss Bingley was delivered to Jane, in which she was told that Bingley had never cared about her and would marry Miss Darcy. Kind Jane trusted what Miss Bingley said and was very sad. It was Elizabeth who found Miss Bingley cheated Jane, and she explained it for Jane, "We are not rich enough, or grand enough for them." Miss Bingley did so was all for her own good, because if her brother married Miss Darcy, she would have more opportunities to approach Mr. Darcy, whom she really admired. So Elizabeth encouraged depressed Jane that happiness for herself was more important than the misery of disobliging somebody. In this case, Elizabeth uses her knowledge to keep her own sense and confidence.In the story, the Bennets' economic situation was not good, and social position was low. Once at the Bingleys, Miss Bingley was playing a lively scotch air, and soon Darcy, drawing near Elizabeth, said to her, "Do not you feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?" Elizabeth smiled, but made no answer. He repeated the question, with some surprise at her silence. And Elizabeth's answer was beyond all expectations, "Oh!" said Elizabeth, "I heard you before, but I could not immediately determine what to say in reply. You wanted me, I know, to say 'Yes', that you might have the pleasure of despising my taste, but I always delight in overthrowing those kinds of schemes, and cheating on person of their premeditated contempt. I have therefore made up my mind to tell you that I do not want to dance a reel at all and you now despise me of you dare. ". Maybe some readers are puzzled about the conversation. For Elizabeth, a woman with a low social position, she should feel flattered as invited by Darcy, such a great man. However, to review the history of England, we could learn that Reel was not a kind of dances for the people from upper class to dance. So Elizabeth thought Darcy was just mocked at her poor family. That was why Elizabeth, affronted a gentleman so completely. And Darcy had never been bewitched by any woman as he was by her. Instead of going down, he felt that he was going to admire her without the inferiority of her connections. In the 18th century, a people's social standing played a very important role in their communications. But Elizabeth, who contained her own honor, sense and confidence, could challenge the social norms of that time and make her really special and attractive than anybody else to Mr. Darcy and others. Then in the coming summer, Elizabeth's uncle and aunt invited her into a tour of pleasure which they proposed taking, when Elizabeth met Lady Catherine, Darcy's aunt. The old lady was always speaking in an authoritative tone as marked herself, and manner of receiving them such as to make her visitors remember their inferiority. Unlike the others, however, Elizabeth was quite calm, and observed the ladies. When being addressed a variety of questions that she really felt all the impertinence of them, she still answered very composedly. Especially when Lady Catherine showed her surprises about Miss Bennets had never been educated regularly, even had no governess, and also the younger ones were out before the elder got married, Elizabeth gave her opinion clearly, "Perhaps she is full young to be much in company. But really, Ma'am, I think it would be very hard upon younger sister that they should not have the means or inclination to marry early-the last born has as good right to the pleasures of youth, as the first. And to be kept on such a motive'". The direct answer of Elizabeth surprised the lady very much in that she can give her opinion very decidedly for so young a person.2.2 Elizabeths own standards in her sociabilityWith so different sense and confidence, Elizabeth didn't become' arrogant in her communications, who has her own standards in her sociability Those were being frank, sincere and natural.When hearing the news that Jane was badly ill in the Bingleys, Elizabeth decided to see her while the others in her family were just uneasy and worried. Then after she walked three miles in dirty weather and arrived, she was with weary ankles, dirty stockings and a face glowing with the warmth of exercise. Her appearance created a great deal of surprise. Miss Bingley abused that her manners were very pride and impertinence. She had no conversation, no style, no beauty, but being an excellent walker, who really looked mild. However, it was just her sincere affection for her sister made her pretty, and be admired by Mr. Bingley. Being natural seemed to be an important quality for a new woman.In this novel, Elizabeth's good friend Charlotte was another important woman who was considered as a very real character. She married Mr. Collins, Elizabeth's cousin, whose proposal had ever been refused by Elizabeth. And Elizabeth considered the marriage would never be a happy one. This case brought a r