论简奥斯汀《爱玛》中价值观和女权主义（英文）

论简奥斯汀《爱玛》中价值观和女权主义（英文）
论简奥斯汀《爱玛》中价值观和女权主义Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Abstract
中文摘要
Chapter One Introduction 1
1.1 Introduction of Emma 1
1.2 Structure of this thesis 2
Chapter Two Emma’s Views of Values 2
2.1 View of Wealth 2
2.2.1 Attitude towards Her Father’s Property 2
2.2.2 Attitude to Women’s Social Activities 3
2.2 View of Friendship 4
2.2.1 Kind and Helpful With Miss Taylor, Harriet and Bates 4
2.2.2 Mutual Respect With Mr. Knightley 6
2.3 View of Love 7
2.3.1 Advocacy of Equality in a Marriage others’ marriage in Emma’s eyes 7
2.3.2 Belief in the Foundation of a Marriage-Love 8
Chapter Three Causes of These Values 9
3.1 Influences of Family and Surrounding Community 10 3.2 Influences of Feminism at That Time 10
3.3 Economy Background 11
Chapter Four Conclusion 12
4.1 Conclusion 12
4.2 Suggestions 12
References 13
Acknowledgements
I’d like to give my great gratitude to my supervisor, my dear teacher Li Xia, for the help and support she gave me. When I attended the course of Business English Reading taught by Professor Li, I was inspired by her seriousness in study and research. At the beginning of my selecting this topic, Professor Li offered many precious suggestions to me. She helped me lay out the clear outline and key points that my essay had better focus on as well as recommended many research examples and information concerning my topic for me to read. During my writing of this essay, she made great efforts to provide guidance to me.
What’s more, I owe m y accomplishment to all the teachers who have taught me in the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Professor Zhang Jie, Professor Lv Hongling, Professor Shao Shan, Professor Wei Yan, Professor Xia Hanhua and so on, especially Professor Lv Hongling and Shao Shan who introduced me to English literature and American Literature. Their profound knowledge and perfect English greatly attract my attention in improving my English.
I’d like to take this opportunity to give my thanks again to all the people mentioned above, for their generous help and the great support they’ve given me! Thank you!
Abstract
Emma may not be the most popular one of all Jane Austen’s novels,
but undoubtedly it’s the most mature one in style and the most complete one in structure. In this novel, the author’s understandings of reality, reflections of life and the use of writing techniques are more profound and skilled than the earlier ones. Emma fully reflects Jane Austen’s ability to master language and shape the characters, and the skills of literary exploration. Her true and accurate portrayal of human nature, keen observation of British Regency society, as well as superb mastery of the art techniques still make us gasp in admiration.
Jane Austen has successfully created a series of female characters, who have their own characteristics, and each one in the novel occupies a different location and has a different role. Emma, the heroine, is the most prominent character, and is also the representative one among all of Austen’s characters. Emma describes how the heroine walks one error out to moral perfection and the process of emotional maturation.
The main research point of this thesis is the analysis of Emma’s view of values and the social causes. This thesis is divided into four parts. The first part is the synopsis for the novel and the brief introduction of Emma’s characteristics. The second part describes Emma's various values such as wealth, friendship and love, and uses concrete examples to demonstrate them. The formation of such values must have various causes, so in the third part of this thesis three social causes are analyzed, and I also combine these causes with the economic background at that time.
Lastly, this thesis briefly narrates the reference significance of Emma to the development of modern women. What’s more, I also put forward my general ideas and thoughts on feminism and the growth of modern women.
Keyword: Emma, Feminism, Views of value, Views of marriage, Social Causes
中文摘要
《爱玛》或许不是奥斯丁小说中最受欢迎的一部，但却是风格最成熟、结构最完整的一部。

在这部小说中，无论是作者对现实的理解、对生活的思索，还是小说所运用的技巧，均比早期作品更为深刻、娴熟、恰到好处。

《爱玛》这一小说充分体现了奥斯丁对英语语言的驾驭能力、对人物的塑造能力和对人物性格的探索。

她对人性精准的刻画，对当时英国社会的敏锐观察，以及对高超的艺术手法的把握，至今仍令读者和评论家们叹服。

简奥斯汀的《爱玛》塑造了一系列女性人物，她们有自己的性格特色、背景以及生活状态，在小说中起到不同的作用。

其中当然以女主人公爱玛的人物形象最为突出，也是奥斯汀所塑造的女性形象中颇具代表性的一个。

《爱玛》这部小说主要描述的就是女主人如何走出一个个错误而步入道德完善和情感成熟的过程。

本论文的主要研究内容为爱玛的价值观分析及其产生的社会成因，因此论文的结构主要分为四个部分：第一部分为小说故事梗概和爱玛人物形象的简述；第二部分详细讲述了爱玛的各种价值观，如财富观、友情观和爱情观，并加以具体的实例论证；形成这种价值观必然存在各种成因，因此在第三部分，论文就一些社会成因进行了分析，并结合了当时的经济背景进行论证；论文最后就《爱玛》
这部小说对于现代女性青少年的成长的借鉴意义进行了简要的叙述，提出笔者对于女性主义和现代女性的成长提出了自己的思考和想法。

关键词：爱玛，价值观，婚姻观，社会成因，女权主义
Chapter One Introduction
Introduction of Emma
Jane Austen is a famous English female novelist in the 18th century, and is also one of the most important pioneers in the history of English novels. For nearly two centuries, people have never been tired of talking, reading and writing about her and her works. Some Jane Austen organizations have been set up, some of which have produced annual volumes devoted entirely to her for many years. Jane Austen's Emma is very popular with the readers at home and abroad. It is claimed to be quite different from other novels, because the heroine is imperfect. Jane Austen herself even worries that Emma is "a heroine whom no one but herself will much like". But the fact is that most readers and critics have given their sympathy and love to this heroine. David Lodge claimed in his introduction to Emma that it is the last completely finished product of Austen's maturity; and in the opinion of most modern critics, it is, of all her novels, the one that most perfectly represents her genius.
The General Plot of this novel: Emma mainly tells the stories of people and their life happened in a small village Highbury and depicts a 19th century British middle class society. The novel centers on the relationship between the heroine Emma and other main characters in the village. Emma is a “handsome, clever, and rich” young girl and as she “seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence”, she can not
help thinking too much of herself and tends to do whatever she wishes. Although she makes up her mind not to marry herself in the beginning, she is keen to make matches for her friends. But every time she does the match-making, her matches are based on her whims or impulse instead of reasons and facts so that she always makes the wrong matches and suffers a lot. Finally she falls in love with the gentleman Mr. Knightley, which makes the story a happy ending together with other two couples.
As one of Austen's best novels, Emma is widely mentioned in most of the critical essays and Jane Austen' biographies. After careful reading and thinking, I find although Emma's growth has gained attention in some critical essays, yet few critics fully analyze Emma’s values in all aspects because some talk about Emma’s view of wealth, while some talk about view of marriage, but few combine these values with the social causes and talk about them in integration.
Structure of this thesis
This thesis consists of 4 chapters. The first chapter is a general introduction of this thesis. The second chapter begins to illustrate Emma's various values such as wealth, friendship and love, and uses concrete examples to demonstrate them. The third chapter analyzes three major social causes that contribute to the formation of Emma’s values: family and surrounding neighborhood, feminism at that time and economic background. The last chapter is the conclusion of this thesis. I put
forward my ideas on modern women’s growth after reading this novel.
Chapter Two Emma’s Views of Values
2.1 View of Wealth
2.2.1 Attitude towards Her Father’s Property
Highbury is where the story takes place. In this village there are various classes of people, represented by landed aristocracy Woodhouse, a retired battle Weston, Priest Elton, farmer Martin, Widow of Priest Bates etc. Possession of wealth of diverse populations is different.
The most direct expression of the possession of wealth is the annual income. Jane indicates the positions of different classes at the wealth pyramid in the most direct way, the amount of wealth owned. The top of the wealth pyramid in Highbury is undoubtedly the Woodhouse family. Their annual income is more than thirty thousand pounds, becoming the heart of Highbury society.
Emma, as the beneficiaries of this income, has an obvious advantage in her demeanor. She boasts that she is "a rich single woman, but always very decent, smart and likable." She used to think she will never be married because she believes the authority many married women could get from their husbands’ is not more than she can get in the Hartfield.
After Emma’s sister Isabella’s marriage, Emma is the real ruler of the household of Hartfield. Her father is poor in health, so he is totally dependent on Emma’s female strength and judgment. So Emma has been the
mistress ever since she was twelve. She manages the house with skillful diplomacy. She lives well off in the delicately protected village Highbury. She lives in a large house with “lawn, bushes and its own title”. Every time Emma goes to a party, she has her own carriage instead of walking there. What’s more, the novel presents the wealth of Woodhouse in the food at the dinner, Minced chicken, baked oysters, apple pie, nice wine. In such a good condition, Emma enjoys her life “with a comfortable home and happy disposition.
2.2.2 Attitude to Women’s Social Activities
Simply because Emma lives in this superior condition, influenced by a kind supervisor Miss Taylor and also having a good instruction, she has the consciousness of taking part in the social activities of the local community.
Actually it really is Jane Austen who highlights the significance of women's lively participation in the social life. Jane Austen points out that if ladies desire to play crucial roles in community, they must very first hold a positive attitude to social activities. This attitude emanates from an acute awareness that a woman is not supposed to be merely a good wife and a very good mother, but she is also a fellow member of the community. Therefore, she has the right and obligation to contribute to her society as a man has always done. Those females who are enthusiastic about social life and sincerely concerned with other's welfare can achieve
fulfillment. She also believes that women need to take optimistic and trustworthy attitude to social life. Females should take an energetic part in social activities, and ought to bear in mind that they not only play the role of wife and mother, but also an indispensable portion of society.
Emma can be a typical example of who takes portion in social life lively. Emma's patronage of Harriet is a good example. Austen explicitly shows Emma's intimacy with Harriet is of wonderful significance, because ladies, as socially weak members, ought to be united and help one another. Those girls who merely care for their own happiness actually transgress the duty of woman for woman. Though Mr. Knightly criticizes Emma's indifference to Bates, Emma by no means withdraws her concern for them. She takes care to send a hindquarter of pork to them when Miss Bates mentions that they've not any meat to eat. Having observed Jane's poor condition, Emma "on reaching house, referred to as the housekeeper to the examination directly to her shops; and some arrow-root of very superior good quality was speedily dispatched to Miss Bates with a most friendly note" Austen 354 .
When Emma does all these, she does not attempt to show off or get a great reputation. Her concern is sincere. She adopts a positive and active attitude toward social life. Her active participation, planning, organizing a variety of social activities in Highbury village are praised; she brakes the rigid regulations, and accepts the Cole family's dinner
invitation; she visits the poor farmers, full of compassion, without prejudice, to give guidelines and sincere help. Emma's prestige in the village of Highbury is owing to the fact that she takes an active part in social activities.
2.2 View of Friendship
2.2.1 Kind and Helpful With Miss Taylor, Harriet and Bates
In the novel, Emma acts as the leader in Hartfiled and even in Highbury society. She has many friends and is respected by the people in the village. There are three characters who have great impact on Emma.
Governess: Miss Taylor and Mrs. Weston
Miss Taylor has been in the Woodhouse family for sixteen years. For Emma, Miss Taylor acts less as a governor than a friend. Between them it was more the intimacy of sisters...They had been living together as friend and friend very mutually attached. Austen: 1 Later Miss Taylor gets married with Mr. Weston. Although Emma feels gentle sorrow to lose Miss Taylor at home and does not know how to endure the change, she is still happy to see Miss Taylor marry such a gentleman and have her own home and family. And Emma even boasts that she makes the match herself proudly.
Emma has been aware of the difference between Miss Taylor and Mrs. Weston and tries not to interrupt Mrs. Weston’s normal family life although there is only half a mile away. But every time Emma has some problems and trouble, she still turns to Mrs. Weston for help. For example,
when Mr. Elton shows his love to Emma and Emma finally finds out that she has made the wrong match, which may hurt two people, Harriet and Mr. Elton. She turns to Mrs. Weston for comfort as she knows Miss Taylor is a friend and companion such as few possessed: intelligent, well-informed, useful, gentle, knowing all the ways of the family, interested in all its concerns, and peculiarly interested in her-one to whom she could speak every thought as it arose, and who had such an affection for her as could never find fault. Austen: 2
New Friend: Harriet
Harriet Smith is a seventeen-year-old girl that Emma knows at Mrs. Goddard’s school. Emma admires Harriet’s pretty appearance and finds out Harriet very engaging, not inconveniently shy, not unwilling to talk. The friendship with Harriet happens to make up for the loss of Miss Taylor’s companion. Emma guesses from Harriet’s appearance and style that she must be born in an upper class family, so she should help Harriet detach herself from Harriet’s bad acquaintance, such as Mr. Martin, a coarse and unpolished farmer in Emma’s eye. Emma decides to do what Miss Taylor did to her; be kind and helpful to her friend. Emma introduces Harriet into good society in Highbury, and informs her of opinions and her manners, which is certainly a very kind undertaking.
What Emma does to help Harriet the most actively is to do matchmaking for Harriet: the first time with Mr. Weston, and then with Frank Churchill.
What’s more, Emma convinces Harriet to refuse Mr. Martin’s courtship.
Although Emma’s matchmaking proves to be wrong and harms Harriet a little bit, Emma is only going to be kind to her dear friend.
Respecter: Miss Bates
Miss Bates is also one of Emma’s Friends, a poor old maid who often chatters away. Emma pays visits to the Bates’ family sometimes. She takes care to send a hindquarter of pork to them when Miss Bates mentions they have not any meat to eat. And whenever there is dinner party in Hartfield, Mrs. and Miss Bates are usually invited.
However, Emma sometimes takes different attitude to Bates from other friends from an upper class. Sometimes Emma calls on them just on the account of charity. Emma is imperfect in moral. She judges a person just based on his social status. On a picnic dinner, Emma puts down to Miss Bates. After Mr. Knightley criticizes her indifference to Miss Bates, Emma also realizes that her insult has seriously harmed Miss Bates and tries to make up for her mistake and behavior that day afterwards. But all in all, Emma’s friendship with Miss Bates is mingled with pity and sorry for Miss Bates.
2.2.2 Mutual Respect With Mr. Knightley
In most of Austen's novels, there is typically a mature, wise and excellent hero, who plays a crucial role in the fictional development. He will lead the heroine to moral perfection and finally lives a happy
life with the heroine. Lacking discipline at an early age, Emma has long been keen to get father-like love and guidance. So Austen produces a smart mature guy, George Knightley. Mr. Knightley is definitely a critical character in Emma's childhood. In the novel, Mr. Knightley gets all of the good characteristics in one: mature, kind, straightforward, loving and wealthy, rare modern gentleman in a male dominated society. He is not only Emma's friend, relative, but also serves as Emma's mentor. Only he can observe the shortcomings of Emma, and only he can exert influence on Emma's thoughts and behavior.
The relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley, which can be vague and special, is distinct from the relationship between Emma, her father and Mrs. Weston. His concern for Emma's growth is determined by social and family levels.
The age distinction among them and their romantic relationship in Emma's childhood have endowed Mr. Knightley with the informal custody of the father-a role that other person can't replace. This situation steadily turns into a habit. When others dare not talk, he often criticizes Emma's error, no matter how huge the error is. For example, he argues with Emma when he knows Emma teaches Harriet to refuses Mr. Martin's courtship and criticizes Emma's cruelty to Miss Bates. The relationship between Emma and Mr. Knightley seems very odd. On the one hand, Mr. Knightley's criticism of Emma is obviously just and essential; however, these
criticisms are harsh words. We'd like to know why Emma, a proud twenty-year-old woman, can put up with these criticisms. Hearing the arguments and criticism from Mr. Knightley, Emma confesses or violently disagrees, but by no means hates him. This can be a manifestation of their fuzzy relations, and we can really feel their relationship is not simple.
The friendship between Emma and Mr. Knightley seems strange, but it is the true friendship based on mutual respect and genuine concern.
2.3 View of Love
2.3.1 Advocacy of Equality in a Marriage others’ marriage in Emma’s eye
Jane Austen's view of marriage consists of a very important notion which is unique among her contemporaries. She insists that equality between a husband and a wife is the key to a happy marriage. In a time when women are taught to be inferior to men, even in the domestic sphere, the proposition for women's equal role in matrimonial relationship is truly daring and subversive.
Of all the marriages described in Emma, only the match of Emma and Mr. Knightley is an ideal marriage in Austen's eyes. It is a marriage not only with deep love but also with a large fortune as financial guarantee, and more importantly, it is based on equality rather than the subjection of the wife to her husband. Other marriages in the novel are imperfect, because they more or less depend on materialism and inequality, and by
no means are ideal matches.
For example, the match of Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill is not based on equality. Jane suffers greatly from Frank's misbehavior, but she bears her pains with composure. Emma has said, "That is a degree of placidity, which I can neither comprehend nor respect".
However, in Frank's eyes, Jane's obedience makes her a perfect wife. Frank praises Jane highly. Frank Churchill regards Jane as "an angel in the house", an ideal female image advocated by the society at that time. And meanwhile he states that he values Jane only as a beautiful creature. So there is something true in Mr. Knightley's response to the engagement of Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill---Jane will be a miserable creature and I am sorry for her. She deserves a better fate.
Compared with Jane, Harriet Smith is not as glamorous. The lady is a humble, boarding school girl with no property and she even does not know who her parents are. She is gentle, beautiful but ignorant. Under Emma's influence, Harriet does not seek a spouse based on her true love, but on how much wealth the man possesses. Because of her ignorance, her love is very easy to control. At first she meets a “charming prince” in her eyes---Mr. Martin, but Emma insists that he is a vulgar farmer and does not match Harriet. Affected by Emma's words, Miss Smith refuses Mr. Martin's courtship. After that Emma does the matchmaking for her, so Harriet falls in love with the prestigious Mr. Elton, who is very famous
in Highbury. Emma refuses to suppose her friend was born in a family with no social status and she thinks Harriet and Mr. Elton is well matched, that is to say, they are equal in position. But in fact, it is Mr. Martin and his social status that matches that of Harriet.
2.3.2 Belief in the Foundation of a Marriage-Love
Although Jane Austen has had a realistic attitude towards marriage, her insistence on mutual deep love as the foundation of a marriage has never changed. In her views, it is a dreadful mistake for a woman to go into marriage without love. Emma is obviously aware of the importance role of love to a successful marriage and she tells Harriet that she should be a fool to get married without love.
However, Emma’s emotional awakening comes very late. Fortunately, she eventually realizes her own true love for Mr. Knightly.
At the beginning of the novel, Emma is not interested in marriage at all, and she even has made up her mind to remain single---I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry...Fortune I do not want; employment I do not want; consequence I do not want Austen: 77 With a large amount of property of thirty thousands, Emma can escape poor women’s fate of being forced into a marriage. Apart from this, she is always busy at all kinds of social activities, whether in her own house or in the community.
Emma’s resolution on celibacy is shaken when Frank Churchill comes
back. Vigorous and agreeable, he is a typical gentleman who is irresistibly attractive to young women. The whole Highbury considers Frank as the suitable husband of Emma, including Mr. Knightley. In fact, Emma is simply impressed by his manner and tries to convince herself that she falls in love with Frank. But when time passes, Emma is aware that Frank is not the appropriate one for her and attempts to do a match-making between Harriet and Frank after the former is saved by the latter from gipsy attack. Later, Emma honestly admits to Mr. Knightley that she appreciates Frank just because my vanity was flattered, and I allowed his attention, and allowed myself to appear pleased. Austen: 387 At the same time, Emma is always attached to Mr. Knightley, although she is not aware of it in the beginning. Emma admires his tall, upright figure, respects his views and cares for his welfares. In fact, Emma’s dislike of Jane Fairfax is partly because of Mr. Knightly’s care for Jane. When Harriet reveals her love for Mr. Knightley, Emma finally realizes that she has always been in love with him.
When the misunderstandings have been cleared, the novel ends up with the marriage of Emma and Mr. Knightley. In the process of looking for true love, both Emma and Mr. Knightley find the importance of each other in their life, and this mutual affection is the foundation of their happy marriage.
Chapter Three Causes of These Values
Reading through Jane Austen’s works on the theme of marriage, we can see her persistent pursuit of love from the early stage evolves into the idea that love is only the foundation of a marriage later. A perfect marriage should be added a good fit of property and social status. The novel Emma especially reflects her values. Jane Austen’s values are sensible, cautious, traditional and simple. If we want to know the causes of Emma’s values, we should understand Austen’s value causes.
The formation of these values has three reasons. First, the living surroundings and family influences her values a lot. Second, the popularity of feminism at that time strengthens these values. And lastly, during the late 18th to early 19th century, rapid changes in Europe and relatively closed feudal England at that time made her certain values.
3.1 Influences of Family and Surrounding Community
To know the causes of Emma’s values, we can first look at the influence of Austen’s living environment on her values. Austin lives in a beautiful environment, fresh air in the English countryside, with the cultural atmosphere of an elegant family. Her father is a learned scholar, priest, and has a stable income. She never needs to worry about food and clothing, and just enjoys life. Depicted in her novels are mainly her own country gentlemen, the landlord's daily life, whose social status is consistent with Austen. She looks at marriage and life in a practical and realistic point of view and speaks out her views of life in a realistic
voice.
Her close and comfortable life and her easy-to-satisfy personality does not generate her desire to have life-changing, and thus she measures the people around her according to her own values and aesthetic view consciously or unconsciously. As a result, in her novels, only those who have a certain property, elegant taste and wisdom like her were only her intellectual appreciation of the heroine, and their marriage partners are in harmony with their inner world and outer world. Their marriage is what she wants to praise.
In the novel, Emma meets Austen’s requirements, a rich, wise and beautiful young girl. Emma was born in the top family of the village Highbury and so has a very high social status. She has access to good education as well as material care. Emma takes part in the social activities actively, always seen as the leader of the Highbury society and admired by many people. However, due to this kind of environment, Emma has her shortcomings. Thanks to Mr. Knightley and Mrs. Weston, she often takes self-examination to reach moral perfection.
3.2 Influences of Feminism at That Time
Emma was published in 1815, a time when feminism was still on its preliminary stage.
According to wikipedia, Feminism is “a diverse collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies, largely motivated
by or concerning the experiences of women, especially in terms of their social, political and economic situation.” Here in Emma, it is focused on the moral philosophies of feminism.
Jane Austen is not a feminist in the strict sense of the term, but she is an active defender of females and positively appreciates women’s struggling to gain power. Speaking from the aspect of moral philosophies of feminism, Austen’s feminist thoughts center on the heroine in Emma First, Emma uses her knowledge to use power, to have everybody around, and to control her social surroundings. Besides, Emma actively takes part in all of the activities in Highbury. What’s more, Austen always holds the opinion that women are born with the same intelligence and talent as men. So in Emma, the education of the hero and the heroine is equal. From this sense, the hero and the heroine’s role as a mentor is equal, through which Austen expresses her opinions of equality in feminism.
3.3 Economy Background
After the Industrial Revolution in the latter half of the 18th century, the Britain became the workshop of the world. The British bourgeoisie got prosperous by the world trade, foreign policy and colonial plunder. No country in the world could compete with Britain at that time. While the industrial revolution pushed bourgeoisie to the ruling stage, the representative remnants of the feudal aristocracy remained in the social life. They still held the inherent privileges and impact. In that era when。