The Economic Factors and Feminist Thinking in Jane Eyre1

1、the economic factors and feminist thinking in jane eyrecontentscontents .2abstract .3acknowledgements .4 1. introduction .5 1.1. brief introduction to the author charlotte bronte .5 1.2. brief introduction to the novel jane eyre .62. the times in which the writer lived and creation background .6 2.1

2、. in the early-mid period 19 century，the british industrial revolution .7 2.2. the chartist movement .7 2.3. charlotte bronte trained her eyes on the issues the women were facing .83. analysis of the relation between economic factors and feminist spirit and thinking 8 3.1. jane eyres characters .8 3

3、.2. the feminist spirit and thinking were affected by the economic factors .9 3.21. on one hand, restraining action .9 3.22. on the other hand, promoting action .124. conclusion .12bibliography 14abstractjaneeyre is a world-wide renowm and immortal work. the heroine of the novel - jane eyre, who is

4、superior to the destiny, struggles against the reality and pursues individual life , independence, freedom and so on, which is just the performance of movement - the female strive to be independent as well as strive for fair rights on various aspects, before the emergence of the feminist movement as

5、 a kind of social movement. this article tries to discuss the relation between economic factors and feminist spirit and thinking. the feminist spirit and thinking she displays in the novel are affected by the economic factors when jane eyre stands up for herself, struggles against the reality and se

6、eks personal happiness and equal rights. thus, we can see that the economic factors have a vital bearing on feminist spirit and thinking which is mainly characterized by the pursuit of the equal rights for women. key words: feminist, spirit and thinking, economic factors affect, charlotte bronte, eq

7、ual rights for women freedom摘 要简爱)是一部闻名世界的不朽名著，小说中的的女主人公简爱不屈服命运，与现实抗争的精神，追求个人独立与自由的精神，正是女权运动作为一种社会运动兴起之前，女性为争取个人独立以及各方面公平权利的表现。文章试图从经济因素的角度出发，来讨论简爱在与现实抗争，追求个人的幸福与平等权利时，她表现出来的女权思想所受到的经济因素的影响，从而说明经济因素对女性追求以平等权利为主要特征的女权思想有重大影响。关键词：女权思想 经济因素影响 夏洛蒂勃朗特 女性平等权利 自由1. introductionwhat reflects in jane eyre is

8、 the impact of societys change upon people behavior at that time, especially upon the general women. all of these are expressed by heroine jane eyre. this is a story about aspecialandunreservedwoman whohasbeenexposedtoahostileenvironmentbutcontinuouslyandfearlesslystrugglingforherideallife.thestoryc

9、anbeinterpretedasasymboloftheindependent spirit.1.1. brief introduction to the author charlotte brontecharlotte was born in thornton, yorkshire in 1816, the third of six children, to maria (ne barnwell) and her husband patrick bront (formerly patrick bounty), an irish anglican clergyman. in 1820, th

10、e family moved a few miles to haworth, where patrick had been appointed perpetual curate. mrs. bronte died of cancer on 15 september 1821, leaving five daughters and a son to be taken care of by her sister elizabeth barnwell. in august 1824, charlotte was sent with three of her sisters, emily, maria

11、, and elizabeth, to the clergy daughters school at cowan bridge in lancashire (which she would describe as logwoods school in jane eyre). its poor conditions, charlotte maintained, permanently affected her health and physical development and hastened the deaths of her two elder sisters, maria (born

12、1814) and elizabeth (born 1815), who died of tuberculosis in june 1825 soon after their father removed them from the school on 1 june. (deborah l. 2006.9) charlotte bronte lived in early-mid period of the l9 century, charlotte bronte, as one of the most outstanding female writers in her time, using

13、her unique feminism perspective paid attention to the common problem the female were facing, i.e. the influence societys changes of the economic as well as civilization have an effect upon the female. (王守仁，方杰 2006.12)she personally experienced the tremendous changes in her time. and so she had a tho

14、rough understanding of the influence upon the female. she described the womans pursuit in this period and the kinds of difficulties that the women were facing when they were seeking freedom and equal rights. whats more, she had focused on the struggle against the injustices exerted on the women who

15、demanded for fair treatment.1.2. brief introduction to the novel jane eyrejane eyre is the first governess novel in the history of english literature. and in this novel charlotte bronte creates a new woman for those days. unlike other romantic novels, there are no handsome and beautiful characters i

16、n jane eyre. we just have a poor, plain, little governess who begins her life all alone. she has no family or friends, no wealth or position, nobody to care for her and nothing attractive. jane eyre is a first-person narrative of the title character. the novel goes through five distinct stages: jane

17、s childhood at gates head, where she is emotionally abused by her aunt and cousins; her education at logwoods school, where she acquires friends and role models but also suffers privations; her time as the governess of thorn field manor, where she falls in love with her byronic employer, edward roch

18、ester; her time with the rivers family at marshs end (or moor house) and morton, where her cold clergyman-cousin st john rivers proposes to her; and her reunion with and marriage to her beloved rochester.(华商2008.11) partly autobiographical, the novel abounds with social criticism. it is a novel cons

19、idered ahead of its time. in spite of the dark, brooding elements, it has a strong sense of right and wrong, of morality at its core. there are several christian aspects underlying the plot that mold its character and essence.jane eyre is a classic story, enduring both as a novel, and as a film adap

20、tation (or, in this case, video), presenting a rare instance of allowing the reader to lay down the novel and move from the printed word to vivid, arresting performances, or, in reverse, to go from this exquisite production to the book with no disappointments in either interpretation or content. if

21、anything, the novel becomes more visible, moving and unique, for now the reader will irrevocably see and hear zillah clarke and timothy dalton in their masterful and passionate living and breathing characters of jane eyre and edward rochester.2. the times in which the writer lived and creation backg

22、round2.1. in the early-mid period 19 century，the british industrial revolutionthe industrial revolution is a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology have a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural con

23、ditions of the times. there are many artistic movements during the period of britains industrialization, each of which is a reaction to the feelings of the time, as well as to the movement which have preceded it. by the time that the industrial revolution really takes hold, some artists are at diffe

24、rences with the ideals which it espoused, such as those of discipline, temperance, structure, and views of the enlightenment. these feelings translated into the romantic movement, which encourage individualism, freedom, and emotion. as the development of the industrial revolution the british domesti

25、c economy had rapidly developed thus english presented a picture of prosperity. meanwhile, an unbalanced economic development sharpens the polarization between the rich and the poor. （christopher gullies.2005.3）the relations are becoming strained in all sectors of society while the contradictions ar

26、e becoming increasingly acute.2.2. the chartist movementultimately the industrial revolution resulted in the chartist movement aims at equal rights. in 1848 the british establishment watched in horror as revolution swept across europe. in london, chartist leaders deliver a petition to parliament ass

27、erting the rights of ordinary people. the chartist movement is one of the most frequently studied social and political movements in modern british history. the first half of the nineteenth century sees a fierce agitation for radical reform in manufacturing areas of britain, and from the early 1830s

28、the chartist movement determined, by political reform, to improve the economic and social conditions of the industrial working classes.at this moment chartist movement literature comes into being. the novelists in this time “faced directly the social reality, displays the intense sense of mission, t

29、he moral intention and the sense of hardship, extends the brushwork to societys aspects, and describes a victoria time social life picture scroll.”（ 简同 2001.2） 2.3. charlotte bronte trained her eyes on the issues the women were facingthe victorian age is men-centered and men-controlled times. women

30、are discriminated against by men at that time. however, the ahead-of-age female consciousness of jane eyre, the main character of jane eyre written by charlotte bronte, challenged mens authority. （田兆耀2002.3）in this novel of the victorian age, charlotte exposes and denounces mens oppression of and di

31、scrimination against women. on the other hand, charlotte is remarkable in portraying jane eyre as a self-respecting and rebellious girl, desiring equality.（袁世全2001.8）feminism has been a prominent and controversial topic in writings for some time. in charlotte brontes jane eyre the main character, ja

32、ne eyre, explores the depth at which women may act in society and finds her own boundaries in victorian england. as well, along with the notions of feminism often follow the subjects of class distinctions and boundaries.charlotte brontes reputation has risen rapidly, and feminist criticism has done

33、much to show that she was speaking up for oppressed women of every age.charlotte brontes reputation has risen rapidly, and feminist criticism has done much to show that she is speaking up for oppressed women of every age. her book had sparked a movement in regards to feminism in literature. the main

34、 character, jane eyre, in her novel jane eyre, is a parallel to herself, a woman who is strong.3. analysis of the relation between economic factors and feminist spirit and thinking3.1. jane eyres charactersjane eyre created by charlotte bronte represents the ordinary women. she is a poor but aspirin

35、g, small in body but huge in soul, obscure but self-respecting girl. after having a long journey of the spirit, jane eyre, a marvelous figure, has left us so much to recall and to think. we remember her goodness: for someone who lost arms and blinded in eyes, for someone who despise her for her ordi

36、nariness, and even for someone who have hurt her deeply in the past. we remember her pursuit of justice. its like a companion with the goodness. but still, a virtuous person should promote the goodness on one side and must check the badness on the other side. we remember her self-respect and the cle

37、ar situation on equality. in her opinion, everyone is the same at the gods feet. though there are differences in status、in property and also in appearance, but all the human being are equal in personality. we also remember her striving for life, her toughness and her confidence when we think of this

38、 girl, what she gives us is not a pretty face or a transcendent temperament that makes us admire deeply, but a huge charm of her personality by using super artistic skill, charlotte bronte vividly describes jane eyres unyielding spirit in her miserable life and her bold pursuit for true love and ide

39、al marriage. （deborah l.2006.9）all of her qualities show early females pursuit of feminist spirit and thinking. however, this kind pursuit is inflected by the society and the concepts of her times, thus such pursuit become extremely difficult.3.2. the feminist spirit and thinking has affected by the

40、 economic factors3.21. on one hand, its bounded by the later. (illustrate by examples and support the opinions)her parents died when she was a little girl and she was farmed out on her auntie. orphaned as a baby, jane eyre is placed in the care of a cold-hearted aunt, mrs. reed of gates head hall. h

41、owever, her auntie as well as her cousins is bad to her, and she suffers from cruelties frequently. which inspires jane eyres unbending of the nature of mind in sub consciousness and makes her rise up in resistance and refuse to take such dilemma in which was bullied. the most classical scene is jan

42、es indictment for her auntie. “how dare i, mrs. reed? how dare i? because it is the truth that you think i have no feelings and that i can do without one bit of love or kindness; but i cannot live so: and you have no pity. i shall remember how you thrust me backroughly and violently thrust me backin

43、to the red-room, and locked me up there, to my dying day; though i was in agony; though i cried out, while suffocating with distress, have mercy! have mercy, aunt reed! and that punishment you made me suffer because your wicked boy struck meknocked me down for nothing. i will tell anybody who asks m

44、e questions, this exact tale. people think you a good woman, but you are bad, hard- hearted. you are deceitful!” （charlotte bronte 2000.12）all her feelings of resentment just come pouring out. she is tired of raw treatment by her aunt and her cousins. she is desirous of fair treatment. however, when

45、 she calms down and realizes that she is farmed out to her aunt, she is regretful for what she has done. “after half an hours silence, reflection had shown me the madness of my conduction and the dreariness of my hated and hating position.” （charlotte bronte 2000.12） the reason for causing this situ

46、ation is janes inconsistent emotion. the former is that she is discontented with her present situation, she is so desirous to be treated fairly by her aunt and the family as a whole. even she is only a little child, but the frustrations of life make jane eyre ask for fair treatment. then the later i

47、s that jane worries about her situation. she is afraid of being driven away by her aunt. the dialogue between jane and the doctor fully embodies her worry of state of economy.“no; i should not like to belong to poor people,” was my replyno, i was not heroic enough to purchase liberty at the price of

48、 caste.” （charlotte bronte 2000.12） all of these fully demonstrate jane struggles against the unfair treatment and wants to strive for a fair although; she is limited by her present economy situation. because of an orphan, jane has no economic ability to support herself. which makes her behaviors re

49、main a desired outcome, rather than an actual outcome, going for freedom and fair and so on, like such feminist behaviors? there is no question of success because of the economic factors in reality. (norton & co 1986.5) and jane eyre has no scruples to strive for what she longs for before she become

50、s financially independent. eventually, jane is sent to logwoods school, where mr. brocklehursts says that jane eyre is a liar in front of all the teachers and students. “let her stand half-an-hour longer on that stool, and let no one speak to her during the remainder of the day.”（charlotte bronte 20

51、00.12） jane affirmatively, for her character, cant bear brocklehursts such insults. but she doesnt do anything in resistance. why? if jane opposes violently just like she does in her aunts family. then she is most likely to be discarded by logwoods master- naomi brocklehursts. and she also cant go b

52、ack to her aunts house, jane can do nothing but tramp the streets to be a poor. which situation is jane unwilling to face. the situation is what jane is unwilling to be faced with, and that is the reason why jane keeps silent and doesnt struggle against those insults. in the living present, jane, in

53、 her heart, wants to struggle, wants to strive for feminist spirit and thinking, but unfortunately, all of her intention is replaced by the actual economic situation. in other words, present economic situation jane is facing determines what she will act in the near future.later, jane goes to thorn f

54、ield to be a governess where she falls in love with mr. rochester-her own master. as we all know that at the end of the eighteenth century, social status is very important in conditioning a marriage. at that time, it is almost impossible for a girl who has low social status to marry a man who has hi

55、gh social status. the great economic gap between both of them makes jane eyre hide the love deep in her heart. yet when rochester falsely claims that he is going to marry with miss ingram and when jane has no choice but to leave, jane feels deeply sad, “which makes me saddest is thinking of border o

56、cean- obstruct of property, status and habitude between me and the lover who i fall in love with inevitably and in the course of nature”（charlotte bronte 2000.12）and later jane said to rochester, “and if god had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, i should have made it as hard for you to lea

57、ve me, as it is now for me to leave you. i am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh.” （charlotte bronte 2000.12）because of disparity in economic status, jane dares not lay bare her true affection to mr. rochester.from above, we can see the economic state determines her behavior once again, and determine how she should choose, which also proves economic facto