Abstract

When it came out in 1847, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre made a hit overnight. After the birth of this “duckling” image, it got the reviewers’ criticism for a long time. Thomas Hardy and his literary work Tess of the D’Urbervilles have been studied for more than a hundred years in Europe and the United States. This thesis conducts a comparative study between Jane Eyre and Tess in the two novels Jane Eyre and Tess of the D’Urbervilles from the perspective of feminism. On one hand, the thesis tries to discuss the two heroines’ attitudes toward love and marriage. On the other hand, it makes an analysis of their complex experiences and emotions, thus presenting how the two women feel and what they do when they get confused. This study may contribute to the arousal of a wider consideration for women’s living states, promote the realization of real equality and harmony between the two different sexes and provide some useful evidence for feminist thoughts and the exposure to the harsh society.

Key words: Jane Eyre   Tess of the D’Urbervilles  feminism   comparative study

摘要

1847年时，夏洛特的《简·爱》一夜成名。书中塑造的这个“丑小鸭”形象，在很长时间内遭受到评论家们的严峻批判。相对而言，托马斯及他的作品《德伯家的苔丝》在欧洲和美国已被研究超过一百年。本文就这两本小说，从女权主义角度对简爱及苔丝这两个女主人公形象进行了比较分析。一方面，本文师徒探讨这两位女主人公对于爱情和婚姻的态度；另一方面，通过对他们复杂经历及情感的分析，像读者展现出她们内心的感受及她们困惑时的行为。这项研究将有助于群众对女性的生存状态进行更为广泛的思考，唤起人们内心深处的对于女性意识的觉醒。为将女权主义思想彻底展现在这个残酷的社会中及促进两性和谐提供强有力的证据。

关键词：《简·爱》；《德伯家的苔丝》；女权主义；对比分析