ABSTRACT

As an influential masterpiece of Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre succeeded in shaping the figure Jane Eyre, who bravely struggles for freedom, happiness and equality of personality. At the same time, another character—Bertha Mason has gradually become the focus of scholars and readers’ attention. Many scholars have analyzed the personality traits of the mad woman Bertha Mason, and compared it with that of Jane Eyre. After the research of the novel’s content and the analysis of previous studies, the author of this paper will explore Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason respectively from the perspective of “the id” and “the ego”, so that to deepen the readers’ understanding of the novel, and make readers know Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason from a new perspective.

Key words: Jane Eyre  Bertha Mason  the id  the ego

摘  要

《简•爱》作为夏洛蒂•勃朗特颇具影响的代表作，成功地塑造了简•爱这一为争取自由、幸福和人格平等而勇于反抗的角色。同时，书中的另一个人物——伯莎•梅森也渐渐成为学者和读者关注的焦点。众多学者对伯莎•梅森的性格特征展开了研究，并将其与简•爱的性格特征比较。本文作者通过对原著内容的研究和对前人研究的分析，将分别从弗洛伊德人格结构论中的“本我”与“自我”的角度探究简•爱与伯莎这两个人物，加深读者对原著的理解，使读者从新的角度了解简•爱和伯莎•梅森。

关键词：简•爱  伯莎•梅森  本我  自我

Chapter One    Introduction
1.1 About Charlotte Bronte
    Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855) was born in Haworth in Yorkshire in northern England. Her father Patrick Bronte was a poor but talented Irish, who has a great influence on Charlotte Bronte’s writing. At the age of eight, Charlotte Bronte and her sister Emily were sent to a boarding school near Haworth. The houses in the school were old, and food was poor. When she was 15, she began to study in the school held by Miss Wooler. And she won the recognition of teachers and students with excellent performance and profound knowledge. After her graduation, she kept staying there as a teacher. She left the school when she was 22, and worked as a governess in wealth families. Because of poor payment and low social status, she decided to hold a school with her sister Emily, but no one came to sign up. In 1845, Charlotte Bronte began to write her first novel called The Professor, which was turned down by press. This did not disappoint but inspired her. She wrote Jane Eyre with great passion, and finished it after one year. The publishment of this book made Charlotte Bronte famous. While from 1848 to 1849, her sisters Emily and Anne and her brother died one after another, and writing became her spiritual support. She published her novel Shirley in 1849 and finished Villette in 1852. In 1854, she got married and set about her novel Emma. But she got ill when she just finished the first two chapters, and died a few months later. People today regard Jane Eyre as her representative work.