从女性主义角度解析简爱与德伯家的苔丝之开题报告

Applicant`s name: Ⅰ.Title:

Reading from Feminism Perspective Jane Eyre and Tess of the D`Urbervilles Ⅱ.Abstract: ⒈Research question

Jane Eyre and another novel Tess of the D`Urbervilles are two typical novels of the Victorian era, both of them proclaim the consciousness of independence and resistance of women who have lower social status. This article starts from the situation of women and development of feminism at that time and analyze the two novels from the perspective of feminism. ⒉Rationale for the study

In the Victorian era, man was still holding the dominant position.Women don`t have equal rights with man. For instance, when man and women get marry, the property brought by women will belong to her husband, when they divorce, women don`t have guardianship right. Besides that for most of women, finding job is an incredible thing, much less have right to vote. Taking care of children and husband are their only duty. The writers reveal the living situation of women through the characters in their novels .What`s more, as the awakening of female consciousness and development of feminism, the characters are granted the features of independence and resistance. ⒊Methodology

In this paper I firstly use standardized research to outline the theory in this study. This method will be based on secondary research which source will be the research published in various journals and management publications. ⑴Advantages of Secondary Research

The most important factor determining me to use the secondary data is that it is easy to do and helps to save time. My research dissertation has to be completed within four months, which implies constraints from the time, and some other factors. Furthermore, the verification process is more rapid and the reliability of the information and conclusion is greatly enhanced.

⑵Disadvantages of Secondary Research

Although secondary data collection is very useful for us to collect the existing information, the information collected through this method may be incomplete. Using this technique requires people to be quite clear about what they are looking for and the technique is restricted to the materials that already exist. It is not a flexible way to collect materials. If you are not clear about what you are looking for, you may spend much time but not collect the materials you need. So this method of documentation should be used base on the assumption that you have the clear objective about what

kind of materials you want to collect. And the data and information that you want to collect through this method must be the real and existing information available in the market. So this method just can help to collect the past and historic information and can not collect the in-depth information.

Ⅲ.Procedure:

Firstly, Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte and another novel Tess of the D`Urbervilles written by Thomas Hardy have been read. I am familiar with the characters in the novels, their image, their features and their families.

Secondly, I will read some books record the history of the Victorian era to realize the living condition of women. Moreover, I want to know the social background and what the authors want to reflect of the society.

Lastly, I will read literature about feminism, such as the source of it and its development in the 19th century. Then I will on the perspective of this theory to analyze expression of feminism in the novels.

Above all, I can use library method to do the theoretical outline of this dissertation. Some journals and articles from internet will be read.

Ⅳ.Timetable

To decide a topic November, 2013

Collect secondary materials and review of literatures December, 2013 Complete a research proposal December, 2013 Write up results and conclusion January, 2014 First draft of project report completed January, 2014 Second draft of project report completed February, 2014 Third draft of project report completed April, 2014 Final writing of project report April, 2014 Ⅴ.Introduction:

⒈Purpose of the study

The main purpose of this research is to analyze the feminism in the two novels, one aspect is their spirit of resistance, another aspect is their perception of love which shaped by their independent personality. Comprehending the social background of the novels and the development of feminism in Victorian era is the first task. ⒉Importance

Jane Eyre and Tess of the D`Urbervilles are two famous works with the profound history of imprinting, we regard them as canons until now. The novels are worth being studied because their literary value and historical value. In the Victorian era women did not want to be limited by children and families, they eager to have jobs, social

status, and even political rights same with man. From the perspective of feminism, the novels show awaking of women`s consciousness. That time and those novels help to feminism study all over the literature. ⒊Major issues and sub-problems This study seeks to study

1. The expression of feminism in Jane Eyre and Tess of the D`Urbervilles, including the independent personalities, what did the characters do when they trapped in dilemma, their perception of love. 2. The living conditions, social status and rights of women in Victorian era 3. The source of feminism and developing process in that era ⒋Delimitation and boundaries

1. Do the research from the perspective of feminism

2. Just analyze the two novels,Jane Eyre and Tess of the D`Urbervilles 3. State the living condition of women only in Victorian era

Ⅵ.Key concepts

⒈Victorian era （social status of women, literature）

Man in Victorian era thinks that women are in inferior position , even the most famous poet and great leader of that time also have the same thought. Women are appreciated because they are obedient to their husband. Women don`t have equal rights with man. For instance, when man and women get marry, the property brought by women will belong to her husband, when they divorce, women don`t have guardianship right. Besides that for most of women, finding job is an incredible thing, much less have right to vote.

Some great novelists try to reflect the true life of the public from different aspects at that time. Meanwhile, they carry the duty of criticizing the society and defending interest of people. Their novels with the same feature, they care about life and fate of general people, they show their anger for the poverty and injustice. The most vital thing is that they wake up the consciousness of social problem and development from the public. Their works truly reflects the reality and spirit of that era. ⒉Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is a representative work with autobiographical color of Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre was an orphan of poor clerical family. This young girl was placed in foster care with her aunt and uncle. However, Jane`s uncle passed away, she suffered ill-treat and bear discrimination from her aunt and cousins in decade. Later, she was sent to the ROM. Wood orphanage, where children had hard life and died in their bed. In that school, her best friend Helen passed away. Then the condition was improved, Jane got education for 6 years. As the leaving of her teacher ---Miss temple Bohr， she left the school . Finally, she found a job in Thornfield manor as a tutor. Gradually, Jane fall in love with the host Mr Rochester. However, someone came to testify Mr Rochester had got married with the mad woman locked in the third floor of the abbey 15 years ago.

They were separated by law in pain. Jane left the abbey and led a vagrant life. A priest St. John, her cousin took her in and gave her a job as a teacher in a school. Later, they got legacy left by Jane`s uncle. John proposed to Jane for a reason she fit to be a wife of priest. Jane refused him and went to visit Mr Rochester. However, she found the abbey became a total ruin. The mad woman died after falling from the building. Mr. Rochester lost an arm and eye for saving his mad wife. Finally, Jane Eyre got married

with him and they had happy life.

⒊Tess

Tess`s father is a simple farmer, that he is descended from the illustrious D`Urbervilles family or maybe not. He send Tess to check on a family named D`Urbervilles living in a manor house less than a day`s carriage ride away. Alec is delighted to meet this beautiful “cousin”. Then, Alec falls in love with Tess and rapes her. She leaves the family and back to home, she finds she is pregnant. She is laughed and discriminated. After the baby dies, she begins work as milkmaid, there she meets her true love Angel Clare. They fall in love, but Angle does n`t learn of her previous relationship with Alec until their wedding night and rejects her. Deserted by her husband, Tess meets Alec again, but poverty forces her to resume their relationship. Angle returns from traveling abroad, remorseful at his treatment of Tess, but finds her with Alec. Tess murders Alec in order to run away with Angle. They spend one night of happiness together before she is arrested and hung.

⒋British Feminist Literary Criticism

British Feminist Literary Criticism has a long history. The most famous work is A Vindication of the Rights of Women written by Mary Wollstonecraft, published in the 1792. She holds the opinion that the educational degree of women should match their social status. She asserts women should be given the same social rights like men, rather than are treated as the subsidiaries of society or a part of family property. Her opinion of feminist criticism is carried on by people in 19th century and 20th century. For instance, some outstanding writers, Jane Austin, the Bronte sisters, George Eliot, they express feminist feelings through characters in their novels.

British feminism is divided into three groups: Liberal Feminism, Social feminism (Marxist feminism) and Radical Feminism. In the Victoriann era the liberal feminism which purpose is erasing the social distinction in law, politics, employment and other social fields of life via legal reform is the main trend.

In the 20th Virginia Woolf gets the greatest achievement in the British feminist literary criticism because she puts forward the female economic independence consciousness. She pointed out economic independence has closed connection with education, privation of women restrict development of education.

The second high tide of British feminism is motivate by a work Women`s Two Roles written by Viola Klein and Alva Myrdal in 1956. They think female should integrate family with work, elevate economic status so that they can get ride of the subordinate position in society.

Ⅶ.Literature review

[1]Charlotte Bronte(2003)Jane Eyre Shanghai:World Publishing Corporation

[2]Thomas Hardy(2008)Tess of the D`Urbervilles Beijing:Foreign Languages Press [3]Clayton Roberts.David Roberts.Douglas R Bisson(2002)A History of England, VolumeⅡ:1688 to the Present 4th ed.London:Pearson Education.Inc.

[4]Martha Licinus(1980)Suffer and Be Still Women in the Victorian Age Bloomington:Indiana University Press

[5]Virginia Woolf(2003)On Novels and Novelist Shanghai:Shanghai Translation Publishing House

[6]Elain Showalter(2005)A Literature of Their Own Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

[7]Charles E. Bressler(2004)Literary Criticism:An Introduction to Theory and Practice Beijing:Higher Education Education Press

[8]Dale Kramer(2000)The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Hardy Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press

[9]张京媛.当代女性主义文学批评.北京大学出版社，1992

[10]王卫新，隋晓获.英国文学批评史.上海外语教育出版社,2012 [11]杨静远.勃朗特姐妹研究.中国社会科学出版社，1983

[12]张载中.托马斯-哈代——思想与创作.外语教学与研究出版社，1983