论简•奥斯汀在《理智与情感》中的婚姻观.doc

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1、AcknowledgementsI would like to thank all those who have given me their generous help, commitment and enthusiasm, which have been the major driving force to complete the current paper.My deepest gratitude goes first and foremost to Ms. Jiang Junmei, my supervisor, for her constant encouragement and

2、guidance. She has walked me through all the stages of the writing of this thesis.Second, I am deeply grateful to the Mr. Jiang Shichang, and Ma Zhaoqian, for the guidance and encouragement.Also, my thanks would go to my beloved family for their loving considerations and great confidence in me all th

3、rough these years. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates who have given me help during the difficult course of the thesis.摘要简奥斯汀（1775-1817）是英国文学史上杰出的现实主义小说家。其中，奥斯汀出版的第一部小说理智与情感，属于奥斯汀最富于幽默情趣的作品之一。在这部小说中，奥斯汀生动地描写了现实与理想、理智与情感之间的冲突。她始终强调，在婚姻和爱情上，人们只有谨慎从事，才会得到幸福，或者至少是成功；感

4、情用事，往往只会带来痛苦，而不会有理想的结果。本文透过理智与情感创作的时代背景，并结合奥斯汀本人的经历，把文章共分为了六个部分。第一部分是对作者和有关小说的当前研究作了简短的介绍；第二部分是对理智与情感的社会历史分析；第三部分描写了奥斯汀及小说中不同人物表达的婚姻观；第四部分探讨了奥斯汀婚姻观形成的社会及个人原因；第五部分是理智与情感中婚姻观的现实意义即一定的局限性；最后一部分是对整篇文章的总结。关键词：奥斯汀；婚姻；理智；情感AbstractJane Austen (1775-1817) was an outstanding novelist of realism in the histor

5、y of English literature in nineteenth-century. Sense and Sensibility, the first novel she published, is one of her most humorous works rich in fun. In this work, Austen has shown vividly the conflict between reality and ideals, sense and sensibility. She has stressed that in the field of marriage an

6、d love, people who only act with prudence, will be happy, or at least succeed; being emotional will cause pain, rather than lead to the desired results.The whole thesis consists of six parts, based on the background of time when the author created Sense and Sensibility, and combined with Austens own

7、 experiences. The first part will give a brief introduction of the author, and some researches on the novel from different aspects. And the second part is going to give a sociohistorical analysis of Sense and Sensibility. In the third part, views of marriage in the novel, both different characters a

8、nd the authors will be further discussed and the fourth part will dig into the root causes of Austins views of marriage. Then the fifth part is to talk about the topics significance and also some limitations in the real society. And sum up the whole paper in the last part.Key Words: Austen; marriage

9、; sense; sensibility Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTSI摘要IIABSTRACTIIITABLE OF CONTENTSIVINTRODUCTION4PART ONE A SOCIOHISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF SENSE AND SENSIBILITY41.1 Short Summary of Sense and Sensibility41.2 Sense and Sensibilitys Social Background4PART TWO VIEWS OF MARRIAGE IN SENSE AND SENSIBILI

10、TY42.1 Different Characters Views of Marriage in Sense and Sensibility42.2 Austens Views of Marriage in Sense and Sensibility4PART THREE REASONS FOR AUSTENS VIEWS OF MARRIAGE43.1 Social Reason43.2 Individual Reason4PART FOUR SIGNIFICANCE OF VIEWS OF MARRIAGE EXPRESSED BY AUSTEN IN SENSE AND SENSIBIL

11、ITY44.1 Realistic Significance44.1.1 Marriage Based on Morality44.1.2 Womens Prudence44.1.3 Significance of Money on Marriage44.2 Limitation of Austens Views of Marriage44.2.1 Austens Conservative Views of Marriage44.2.2 Women Without Career4CONCLUSION4WORKS CITED415IntroductionJane Austen (1775-181

12、8) was one of the greatest and best loved novelists in English literature. In her brief but brilliant 42-year career, she has created six novels: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion. These six novels are all about love and marriage.Sense

13、and Sensibility was published in 1811, which was the first published novel and one of the representative novels to show Austens view on marriage. The story revolved around the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. Elinor is sensible and rational, while Marianne is romantic and emotional. The sister

14、s have met a lot of difficulties on marriage. Finally, they both have a happy and successful marriage. Many people have done some researches on the novel from different aspects. For example, Zhou Qing said that Sense and Sensibility was the most typical novel that revealed Austens point of view on m

15、arriage and had realistic meaning in modern times (80). Liu Xiamin talked about the different characters of the Dashwood sisters when analyzing the art of characterization in Sense and Sensibility. Elinor represented good sense while Marianne represented sensibility, but they could get along well wi

16、th each other (79). Wang Xinchun and Kang Chunyan have focused on analyzing Mariannes character changing from sensibility and emotion to good sense and realism, because of Elinors influence and her own suffering (110).Besides, some people have done some researches on Austens views of marriage in oth

17、er novels. For instance, Yang Yue has analyzed Austens views of marriage in Pride and Prejudice (1). Jie Jingdong held the opinion that three factors played an important part in Austens view on marriage in Pride and Prejudice: marriage needed enough money to afford everyday life; the equality in soc

18、ial status would make the marriage more possible; good manners and considered manners were important in conditioning a marriage (186). However, few people have directly talked about views of marriage Austen expressed in Sense and Sensibility. The paper focuses on Austens views on marriage in Sense a

19、nd Sensibility through analyzing Dashwood sisters complicated marriages, and describing the reasons leading to Austens such views of marriage, in order that people can know more about this novel and marriage.Part One A Sociohistorical Analysis of Sense and Sensibility1.1 Short Summary of Sense and S

20、ensibilityNineteen-year-old Elinor and seventeen-year-old Marianne Dashwood are sisters, one prudent, the other romantic. On the death of their father they are left with little money or status, and move with their mother and youngest sister to a humble cottage on the Devonshire estate of a rich rela

21、tion, Sir John Middleton. Here Marianne is soon swept off her feet by the handsome, dashing Willoughby, while Elinor quietly nurses her preference for Edward Ferrars, a sensible but strangely melancholic young man whose affections towards herself is quiet and unassuming, so it makes her struggle to

22、understand. Meanwhile Colonel Brandon, a serious man of thirty-five, is evidently much attracted to Marianne, though his grave manner cannot compete with Willoughbys charm. Things go wrong for both sisters when self-serving Lucy Steele confides in Elinor that she has been secretly engaged to Edward

23、for four years, and Willoughby suddenly leaves the neighbourhood without explanation. The conduct of the sisters is contrasted, Elinor keeping her misery to herself while Marianne indulging herself in strong grief and yean to Willoughby. Then the scene moves to London, where the sisters are guests o

24、f Mrs. Jennings, the vulgar but kindly mother-in-law of Sir John. In the highly artificial world of London society, Mariannes open pursuit of Willoughby can only lead to more heartbreak for herself as he spurns her and becomes engaged to an heiress. Lucys sister Nancy betrays her secret, whereupon E

25、dwards snobbish, domineering mother cuts off his allowance and he decides to become ordained. Colonel Brandon kindly offers him a modest living on his estate, Delaford, in Dorset. As this is not smart enough for Lucy, she rapidly transfers her affections to Edwards brother Robert and persuades him t

26、o elope. Meanwhile, staying with Mrs. Jennings married daughter in Somerset on the way back to Devon, Marianne falls seriously ill through self-neglect. Colonel Brandon rides off to collect Mrs. Dashwood, and Willoughby, now a married man, makes a contrite appearance. Edward is now free to propose t

27、o his true love Elinor, and before too long a recovered and chastened Marianne, despite her earlier scorn for second attachments, freely agrees to become the wife of the worthy Colonel Brandon.1.2 Sense and Sensibilitys Social BackgroundJane Austen set Sense and Sensibility in the time of the end of

28、 eighteenth century and the first decade of the nineteenth century, which is also the transition time from rationalism to romanticism in English literature. So her thought is deeply influenced by the thoughts in the 18th century in many aspects, and challenged in the 19th century. In Austens works,

29、the conflict between “reason” and “emotion” is the eternal and contradictory unifying theme. In her early works, she underlines the power of reason, such as the contradiction between Elinor and Marianne. In her later works, it is the romance that brings the heroines tremendous vitality and distincti

30、ve personality, such as the contradictory character between Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudize and Anne in Persuasion. These all reflect Austens complex and contradictory psychology in the transition time of Britain.Most things Austen describes in her novels are familiar scenes of life: the dance amon

31、g upper classes, tourism and leisure activities inside the living room, as well as gossip among those married women (Gillie 135). However, such depiction of trivial things in life profoundly reflects social reality at that time, and it is just those ordinary things that show her excellent writing sk

32、ills. Austen always emphasizes the importance of social and economic relations on the marital problem, and her most concerned things is about how to help the heroine in her novels to find a desirable husband.In the patriarchal society when Austen lived, the ownership of the property determined a per

33、sons value, while the property was only for male heirs, so from the beginning women were at a disadvantage edge, only subordinate to men. Besides, Women were frequently ignored by men. They were treated as the ones who could only give birth to children and serve men (Yang 10). They were considered t

34、o be inferior to men in terms of intelligence and capabilities. Marriage was only one purpose in their lives, home was their only proper spheres; and family affairs were their only matters to deal with. Because of such poor conditions, marriage was their only way of gaining respect, social status an

35、d economic safety. Therefore, a good marriage for a young woman was very critical at that time in Britain. In the world of Sense and Sensibility, money plays a significant role in the development of marriages, and determines the popularity of the youths in the field of marriage.According to the prin

36、ciple of sociohistorical criticism, analyzing, understanding and evaluation of a literary work, the works social and historical background and the writers life and other experiences will take into consideration (Yang 11). It is an only way to make a deep evaluation of Austens views on marriage in Se

37、nse and Sensibility.Part Two Views of Marriage in Sense and Sensibility2.1 Different Characters Views of Marriage in Sense and SensibilityIn this novel, Mrs. Dashwood, the mother of the heroines and second wife to Henry Dashwood, is a very kind and genial woman. Although she has inherited no fortune

38、 of her own, she does not purposely encourage her daughters to pursue those wealthy men as some mothers of that time might have. While, in the terms of herself, “it was enough that he appeared to be amiable, that he loved her daughter, and her daughter returned the partiality.” “It was contrary to e

39、very doctrine of hers that difference of fortune should keep any couple asunder who were attracted by resemblance of disposition” (Austen 20). She wants the best for her daughters so as to be alike uninfluenced by the consideration of money.Elinor is a young girl with strong feelings but is too cool

40、-headed. Although she falls in love with Edward Ferrars almost at first sight, she conceals her feeling. Not until the last moment that Edward makes a proposal of marriage to her, does she show her love for him. Besides, in the view of Elinor, wealth has much to do with ones happiness, and without m

41、oney, one can hardly lead a comfortable life at that time when she lives (Austen 108). Thus, she understands both what Willoughby has done to her sister and Lucy Steeles behavior to Edward when they are making the choice of love.By contrast, her sister Marianne is a very clever but too sentimental g

42、irl. She holds much romantic fantasy towards love, and only wants to marry a Mr. Right with an excellent and extremely-charming character. Gentlemen like Edward even can not attract her, because “Edward is very amiable, and I love him tenderly. But yethe is not the kind of young manthere is somethin

43、g wantinghis figure is not striking; His eyes want all that spirit, that fire, which at once announce virtue and intelligence” (Austen 22). When 35-year-old Colonel Brandon expresses his affections towards her, she feels he is too old to give her impulse to love, thus he is dismissed. Marianne consi

44、ders that: “To satisfy me, those characters must be united. I could not be happy with a man whose taste did not in every point coincide with my own. He must enter into all my feelings; the same books, the same music must charm us both. He must have all Edwards virtues, and his person and manners mus

45、t ornament his goodness with every possible charm” (Austen 23). She requires so much that even she herself convinces that she will never see a man whom she can really love. Therefore, after Willoughby, a young man just up to her aspiration, appears in her life, immediately does she fall into a crazy

46、 love with him.To our disappointment, Willoughby finally abandons Marianne, and gets married with a wealthy heiress. In fact, all he wants is to marry a rich girl so as to possess enough money for his dissipation in the future.Inversely, Colonel Brandon deeply loves Marianne from the first sight and

47、 acts kindly, sincerely, graciously, and silently towards her throughout the novel. At last it is his insistance and sincerity that helps him win the heart of Marianne.Lucy Steele is a sly and selfish woman, and what the dominant factors she takes into consideration on marriage is money and social s

48、tatus. Another amusing but warm-hearted character, Mrs. Jennings, who is quite keen on discovery of attachments among youngsters, advocates a beautiful girl should get married with a rich man.2.2 Austens Views of Marriage in Sense and SensibilityIn Sense and Sensibility, Austen creates two contrasted characters: Elinor is sensible while Marianne is emotional. Whether dealing with things and treating people in an emotional or rational approach is the most obvious distinctions between these two sisters. Mariannes subjective, romantic