Jane Eyre--a female image against social pressure with rebellion and independence 简爱中的女权主义倾

Jane Eyre--a female image against social pressure with

rebellion and independence

Jane Eyre is a piece of autobiographical fiction. It is Charlotte. Bronte’s first novel published in 1849. The novel creates a female image who is against social pressure with rebellion and independence.

Feminist criticism comes in many forms, and feminist critics have a variety of goals. Some have been interested in rediscovering the works of women writers overlooked by a masculine-dominated culture. Others have revisited books by male authors and reviewed them from a woman's point of view to understand how they both reflect and shape the attitudes that have held women back.1

A number of contemporary feminists have turned to topics as various as women in postcolonial so-cieties, women's autobiographical writings, lesbians and literature, womanliness as masquerade, and the role of film and other popular media in the construction of the feminine gender.

Among hundreds of writings in the world, Jane Eyre stands out and gives us a vivid impression.

Sun Weimin, argued in her article that, the classic Jane Eyre tells the heroine of independent self-esteem, the pursuit of personal equality, love the story of single-minded dedication2. Her tireless pursuit of the tireless spirit of the character of equality is respected, her contempt for the wealth of the gas stunning proudly, her single-minded dedication and fearless love the concept of moving. However, Jane Eyre's inner existence of the inferiority complex of a taboo. Jane Eyre goes beyond the inferiority complex which highlights of her charisma.

Charlotte Bronte is one of the representatives of female literature in 19th English Literature. Women in her novel all bear various oppressions from feudalistic concepts

1Ross C Murfin . Feminist Readings: French Texts/American Contexts. Special issue, Tale French Studies 62 (1981). 466

2Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre[M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2003.

to some extent. As a result, they all share a common feature-very strong self-consciousness. Through the analysis of the two heroines in Jane Eyre, we can see that women with different characters would have different endings in the process of pursuing happiness. Only those who are really independent in personality and thoughts can know how to struggle for happiness, and education is the key to this social issue.

Huang Xingjun, showed his opinion in the article, that Jane Eyre is a female hero full of passion against unfairness all the way. Bronte, Charlotte showed her attitude towards life through Jane Eyre3, that women are equal to men, which people turned to ignore on purpose. It is the first time that people begin to care about women and their life in literature. As a result, hundreds of themes referred to female come into being. The topic draws people’s attention forever.

Jane Eyre is written by famous talented English critical realist woman novelist Charlotte Bronte in 1846. Although having more than 152 years by now, it is popular with lots of people because of the heroine —Jane Eyre.

As an English idiom goes, “Beauty is but skin-deep”4, like Wang Wenhui argued in the article. A person’s great virtue, a noble soul, a beautiful heart can be called as an everlasting beauty. T he thesis focuses on the analysis of Jane Eyre’s beauty, on the assumption that more people may act like “Jane” and possess inner beauty5. First, it introduces the author Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre’ path of life, as well as its historical background of this work. Second, it mainly analyses the characters in Jane Eyre through her life experience in terms of psychology, language, mentality, behavior and so on to reflect the theme. Third, it is about Jane’s love. It express Jane’ longing and pursuit for the most beautiful characteristic of human beings, which enlighten us greatly. Finally, it has a discussion about Jane’s personalities and concludes that Jane is a beautiful feminist.

It is filled with love, passion and reason, and maintains its unique artistic charm6. 3Huang Xingjun, The endless love in Jane Eyre, Journal of Mudanjiang University,2009:4

4Gaskell Elizabeth. The Life of Charlotte Bronte. Harmondsworth: Penguin Press 1975.

5Merryn Willians. Woman in the English Novel[M]. Beijing: Business Printing House, 1984.

6Oates, Joyce Carol. Introduction. Jane Eyre. New York: Bantam Books, 1987: 5-14.