Abstract and Key Words

Abstract:  By making a profound analysis of the change of Marianne’s character and the cause of her change, this article aims to express that Marianne’s character has finally changed from sensibility to sense. The process of the change is analyzed by means of contrast. The author wants to point out that Marianne’s change of character resulted from  her own effort and the help of her relatives and friends. It is an admirable change, for love cannot be based on the mirage and sense is preferable in love affairs. The article finally concludes that it is more fragile, more dangerous and easier to get hurt for women to use sensibility to guide their behavior than to use sense. In love affairs, women should have level heads, think carefully and learn to protect themselves.

Key words: Marianne; change; sense; sensibility

摘要：本文用对比的方法对玛丽安性格的变化以及变化的原因进行深入剖析，旨在表达这样一个观点：玛丽安在情感方面最终由感性转向了理性。文章认为，她的转变得益于她自身的努力以及家人和朋友的帮助。这一转变是值得赞赏的，因为爱情不能建立在虚无缥缈的海市蜃楼中，只有理性才更可取。最后，文章得出这样一个结论，女性靠感情指导行动比靠理智指导行动更脆弱，更易受伤害，也更危险。女性应该保持冷静的头脑，多思考,才能更好地学会保护自己。

关键词：玛丽安；转变；感性；理性

1. Introduction
1.1 Introduction to Jane Austen
Jane Austen (1775-1817) was born on 16th December, 1775 at Steventon rectory. She lived her entire life as part of a close-knit family located on the lower fringes of the English gentry. She was educated primarily by her father and older brothers as well as through her own reading. She is a great female writer in the history of English literature and is among the first English women to break the male monopoly of novel writing. As one of the few distinguished English women novelists of the 19th century, Jane Austen wrote six complete classical novels in all her life time: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion.
Because of her growing environment, there are not many social contradictions in Austen’s novels. She portrayed the life of English upper middle class in the countryside through her subtle observation. Her chief literary concern is about human beings in their social relationship. She also describes the beauty of women (not only physical beauty), and their longing for freedom in the life of their marriage. Meanwhile, her novels are also concerned with young women’s social growth and self-discovery. Nearly all of them explore a consistent theme that maturity is achieved through the loss of the illusions.