Abstract and Key Words

Abstract: Elizabeth and Jane Eyre are respectively the heroines in Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. This paper analyzes the similarities and differences of the two heroines from the aspects of life experience, family background, attitudes to love and marriage, and men and women’s social statues. By analyzing the two heroines---Elizabeth and Jane Eyre from female consciousness, this thesis finds that they have something in common. Both of them lived in the patrilineal society, while neither of them are the traditional “angel in the house” any longer. By the analysis of their respective characters, it can be clearly seen both of that Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre are intelligent with protesting spirit and desire for equality and liberty. However, compared with Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Bennet still has some limitations from the perspective of female consciousness. In contrast, Jane Eyre is financially and spiritually independent in the relationship with her lover, and her resistant spirit is quite thorough, and her female consciousness is much stronger than Elizabeth. The comparison study in this paper indicates that Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre are two heroines who are different in their personalities and attitudes towards love and marriage.

Key Words: Elizabeth; Jane Eyre; love and marriage; female consciousness；

摘要：伊丽莎白和简爱分别是《傲慢与偏见》和《简爱》的女主人公。本论文旨在从生活经历，家庭背景，对待婚姻观的态度，以及女性意识这几方面分析比较两位女主人公的异同点。从女性意识角度分析了两位女主人公的异同，相似点在于：她们都生活在父权社会，但是，她们都不是传统的“家庭妇女”，伊丽莎白和简爱都具有反抗精神，要求平等和自由。但是她们同时也有差异性，简爱的反抗精神更加彻底，女性意识更加强烈。本文的比较分析展现了伊丽莎白和简爱的个性差异及对待爱情和婚姻的不同态度。

关键字：伊丽莎白；简爱；爱情和婚姻；女性意识；

1. Introduction
Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte are two famous female writers in England in the 19th century. Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre are considered to be their representative works respectively. Since their publication, they have both attracted a lot of attention from critics and common readers. At the same time, the two writers become famous because of the two works. Their novels both describe two classical love stories and reflect the current situations of the females at that time, such as the unfair between man and women and the pressure of the society to women. When a girl can marry, money and position are the most important. The reason is that women have no inheritance right at that time and if they get married, their properties must be given to their husbands. Women can’t dominate their own properties independently. So women need to rely on men. If a girl can’t marry with a rich man, her life is terrible. But if women want to be independent, she can be a tutor. The tutor is one of the lowest jobs. Under this condition, many women are unsatisfied and lose their mind. Many women give up seeking their real love. That’s why the two books can be the most popular.