英美文学论文-从《简爱》看知识改变女性命运.doc

英美文学论文-从简爱看知识改变女性命运AbstractJane Eyre is an excellent autobiographical works. The heroine Jane had not beautiful appearance or a supple, graceful carriage, but she still attracted us deeply like the beauties of other works; Jane was born into an impoverished family and became an orphan, and then she was sent to Lowood Institution, living hard, but finally, she became a versatile Miss, having extraordinary temperament and getting Mr. Rochesters deep love. How could common Jane become an uncommon female? One of the reasons is: Jane loved reading and learning and eagerly sought knowledge from them, finally she obtained the momentum of survival, growth and struggling for happiness and freedom. The females today go out of home, competing with males to display their wonderful life, and showing the complete and true ego. So the females today need more knowledge to improve and enrich ego. This paper will explain that knowledge is very important to females, especially to the females today. It will deal with the effects of knowledge on Jane, and then make further analysis on the significance which knowledge brings to the females today.Key WordsKnowledge; Females Fate; Jane Eyre摘要简爱是一部出色的自传小说。女主人公简没有娇好的面容，婀娜的身姿，却和其它著作中的美人一样，深深地吸引着我们；简出生贫寒，是一个可怜的孤儿，随后又被送进寄宿学校，过者艰苦的生活，但最终她成为了一位多才多艺的女子，拥有非凡的气质，并得到罗切斯特先生的深爱。平凡的简是怎样变成一个不平凡的女性的？原因之一是：简爱读书和学习，她渴望从中得到知识，并从中汲取到生存，成长和争取幸福、自由的力量。今天的女人走出了家门，和男人们比拼着生命的精彩，向世界展示着完整真实的自我，今天的她们需要更多的知识来提升和充实自己。本文将由知识对简一生的影响谈起，说明知识对女性，尤其对当今女性的重要性，并进一步分析知识给当今女性带来的益处。关键词知识;；女性命运；简.爱Introduction“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! - I have as much soul as you, - and fill as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave youand we stood at Gods feet, equal, - as we are!” When you read this paragraph of classical dialogue, you will think of “the Cinderella- Jane” who is the leading character in the novel Jane Eyre of Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre has already come out for one and a half century. But up to now, readers still remember the works, because its heroine Jane is distinctive-She has normal appearance and unfortunate experiences, but has internal temperament and happy marriage. Why could the unfortunate heroines life change? This paper will analyze the reason-Knowledge changes Janes destiny. And then can the knowledge change the fate of females today? The answer is certain. Knowledge can make homely females become good-looking, and make beauty become more beautiful; Knowledge can bring the capital of modern females to the females today; Knowledge can make women mentally healthy; Knowledge can change females future and make them win the world.I. The Brief Introduction of the Novel and Its AuthorA. Introduction of the Novel Jane Eyre is an important works in the history of British literature. Jane Eyre is such a great novel that it holds an important position in the history of British literature. It has been translated into various languages and adapted for movie, dazzling generations of readers all through the world.The period when Jane (the heroine in the novel Jane Eyre) lived roughly corresponds with the time of queen Victorias ruling. Victoria who ruled over the British Empire for over 60 years was a well known queen in English history. She mounted the throne in 1837 when British literature reached a prosperous period. In the 1940s, British literature reached its peak. The realists were one of the main groups at that time, and the author of Jane Eyre belonged to this group.This novel begins with little Jane as a despised orphan in the house of her uncles widow. Being rebellious, she is packed off to a charitable boarding school, which administers harsh discipline with especial vigor. Jane sets herself to learn, qualifies herself as a teacher, advertises for a post, and is employed as governess of the illegitimate French daughter of Rochester in his country mansion, Thornfield. A love relationship develops between Jane and Rochester. Janes resolute free spirit, her soul of fire, brings from the dominant Rochester a proposal of marriage. But at the very moment, the wedding ceremony was interrupted, for Rochester is discovered to have a mad wife who is hidden in that house. Jane doesnt want to be Rochesters mistress and subsequently leaves Thornfield, wandering far away. She is rescued by the Rivers family and urged to marry John Rivers in order to undertake missionary work at his side. Almost she consents, but as she ponders, Rochesters voice crying her name resounds in her ears. Then Jane gains a large amount of inheritance from her uncle whom she has never known before. She returns to Thornfield, but the mansion has been destroyed by a fire started by the mad wife. In a scheduled country house nearby, she finds Rochester, blind and alone; they marry and find happiness together.B. Introduction of the AuthorCharlotte Bronte was born in a Priests family in York shire in 1816. She had two elder sisters, two younger sisters and one younger brother. Her mother died when she was five years old, leaving six children. Fortunately, her father was an intellect, so he often taught his children to read books and magazines and told stories to them. It influenced Charlotte in developing her interest in literature. When she was very young, she was sent to a boarding school with her three sisters. In 1825, her two elder sisters died of infectious disease in that school. Then, her younger sister Emily and she were forced to go back home and compile a journal named “Youth”, which laid a solid foundation for their later creation of literature. When she was 15, she went to another school to study. And in order to support her family, she became a teacher in this school after her graduation. After she left this school, she went to a rich family to be a tutor for twice, during which she declined to men who wanted to marry her. In order to teach French, Charlotte and Emily went to a French school to learn French. In that school, Charlotte fell in love with her French teacher deeply, yet she didnt tell him. In 1847, under the name of Currer Bell, she published her first novel Jane Eyre which was a great shock at that time and made her successful. Her two younger sisters also published their novels and succeeded at that time. The great success of the Bronte sisters brought great happiness to their family. But in the following years, Charlotte suffered from great sorrow: her younger brother and two younger sisters died one by one in two years. But she persisted in writing and published another three fictions. She got married with a priest when she was 38 years old. After she enjoyed happiness for six months, she died in the next year.II.The Influence of Knowledge upon Jane in Her Different Periods of LifeA. The Early Childhood Life of JaneWhen little Jane as a despised orphan lived in the house of Aunt Reed who is her uncles widow, she was abused very much. But why could she live down bravely and keep mentally healthy? That is because she could get conciliation from the knowledge of books.During the period when Jane lived with her Aunt Reed, she had not a good-looking and no one loved her, her life was even worse than the servants of Aunt Reed. When Aunt Reeds children Ehza, John, and Georgiana were clustered round their mama in the drawing-room, Jane had dispensed from joining the group. John Reed called Jane “Madam Mope! Bad animal!”, and bullied and punished Jane-not two or three times in the week, nor once or twice in the day, but continually. At that time, she had no appeal whatever against those. Finally, Jane had turned against John to avert his irrational violence, so that she was loaded with general opprobrium and locked in the red-room. She was frightened badly, and then lost her consciousness.Speaking generally, a good family environment is very important to the growth and the future of a child. For example, most of young criminals today are living in such kind of broken families; much less one child can undergo a family situation like Jane s. So we can say that one bad family environment will produce an unhealthy child easily, but Jane lived down strongly and had so healthy mentality. Why? Because of books knowledge, when she read books, she would be understood, be comforted and be told by books there was a beautiful world and she would be given survival hopeness. So when Aunt Reed kept her at a distance, she did not cry, but slipped into a small breakfast-roan which contained a bookcase to read book-Bewicks History of British Birds. At that time, she was deeply attracted by the books pictures and stories, forgetting the injustice. The next day of the incident of the red-room, Jane felt physically weak and inexpressibly sad, which made her almost lose any interest towards any thing. But when Bessie, a servant in Gateshead, asked Jane if she would have a book, the word “book” acted as a transient stimulus, and she begged Bessie to fetch Gulliver s Travels from the library.B. The Educational Life of JaneBeing rebellious, Jane was packed off to Lowood Institution, which was a charitable boarding school. She suffered the molestation of the spirit and body continuously, but because she had the motion of studying, she grew up bravely and became a woman who had good accomplishment.Lowood Institution practiced one kind of ruthless education which declared “punish body to rescue soul”. Jane could not eat fully and wear warmly. Additionally, Mr. Brocklehust (the headmaster of Lowood Institution) accused her falsely: “The Evil one had already found a servant, she was a really bad child.” At that time, her heart bore so much weight that she was almost crumbled. Fortunately, she met Miss Temple who is her teacher, announced that Janes imputation had been completely cleared, Jane was relieved from a grievous load, she set to work afresh from that hour, resolved to pioneer her way through every difficulty: “I toiled hard, and my success was proportionate to my efforts; my memory, not naturally tenacious, improved with practice, exercise sharpened my wits.” So the motivation and conviction that she wanted to learn more knowledge there to improve ego made her survive there for a long period of time and became a noble and intelligent woman. And then her qualify had made up her homely-looking.After eight years in Lowood Institution, Jane was tired of the routine. She desired to have a look at the outside world and see with her own eyes the persons, pictures which in the books she had read. So she advertised for a post, this was the beginning of her new and interesting life. All these are caused by the knowledge of reading.C. The Love of JaneLater, Jane was employed as governess of the illegitimate French daughter of Rochester in his country mansion, Thornfield. She worked very hard here and gradually attracted the attention of the wise and rich Rochester. How could she catch Rochester so deeply? It was not her pretty appearance or good shape but extraordinary temperament, brilliant mind, especially noble nature and unsullied character. To a considerable degree, all of her qualities came from the accumulation of education and the conversion of the knowledge.Jane had been described by servants like this: “If she were a nice, pretty child, one might compassionate her forlornness; at any rate, a beauty like Miss Georgiana (she is one of Aunt Reeds daughters) would be more moving in the same condition.” One time, Jane met with Rochester. When she said that she had lived in Lowood School for eight years, Rochester sighed: “Eight years! No wonder you have rather the look of another world. I marveled where you had got that sort of face.” These can explain that Jane really had not an exterior to please others. But Bessie had also described Jane like that: “You were not beauty as a child, I dare say you are clever though.” It was the truth. In the eight years, Jane had learned to play piano, draw paint, both read and speak French, work on muslin and canvas, but the beautiful Miss Reeds could not do these well; These internal things that she had learnt made her no beauty but delicately beautiful. Rochester once told Jane: “You- you strange, you almost unearthly thing! -I love you as my own flesh. You- poor and obscure, and small and plain as you are- I entreat to accept me as a husband.” Just because of the knowledge she had read from the books, she had an unearthly soul under ordinary appearance. Jane gradually grew up and the more she read books, the more she had knowledge ,and became more and more charming. When she slipped into the library of Thornfield, seeing these books in bookcase, she was contented temporarily and felt they could offer an abundant harvest of entertainment and information. When she was saved by Mr.St. John and lived with his sisters, she found they were more accomplished and read more books, so she began to follow in the path of knowledge they had trodden before her and devoured the books they lent her. One girl like this, everyone would like her, of course, Rochester was not an exception. Though there was something such as rank and wealth severing them widely, there was indeed something in Janes blood and nerves, which assimilates her mentally to Rochester. The mysterious thing is spirit, Janes spirit was improving along with the increase of the knowledge she had obtained from self-education, so she would enjoy similar spiritual state with Rochester. III. The Great Significance of knowledge to Females TodayFrom Jane Eyre, it can be found that Janes success has the direct relationship with the knowledge she learned from the books and the knowledge she got in Lowood Institution. And whether knowledge is of great importance to females today or not is worth pondering.A. Females Beauty Coming from KnowledgeHow many women look as radiant and beautiful as the hostesses of Gone with the Wind, Pride and Prejudice and so on? How many women possess perfect figure as good as Cindy Clauf? In fact, majority of women are ordinary like Jane. Of course, today we are dazzled by the endless array of beautiful cosmetics in modern society. So many females use cosmetics to make up the deficiency of looks. But a woman who only knows to wear well and dress up beautifully is shallow, and her internal world is empty, and her inside story lacks substance. There is another group of women. They are really more beautiful than others, but they are shallow, having little knowledge. These women are afraid of becoming old every day, because they will have nothing once they lose their looks. Gentlemen will not really love the above- mentioned women. Then, which kind of women would the gentlemen prefer? We can get the answer from Rochester: “ To women who please me only by their faces, I am the very devil when I find out they have neither souls nor hearts-when they open to me a perspective of flames, triviality, and perhaps imbecility, and ill- temper; but to the clear eye and eloquent tongue, to the soul made of fire, and the character that bends but does not break- at once supple and stable, tractable and consistent- I am ever tender and title.” So a gentleman would like to contact with a lady who has rich internal, graceful temperament, and a lady who has read a lot of books, learn many things and get much knowledge would possess permanent temperament and unfailing charm.Many books have referred to the conception of beauty. And an ancient book described a beauty like that: she has an appearance as beautiful as a flower, a voice as sweet as a bird, a posture as graceful as a willow, bones as pure as a piece of jade, skins as spotlessly as snow, and has a heart as rich as poems. So the most precious is poem, today we can regard the poem as extensive books. And in one modern book called Complete Works of Woman s Glamour and Capital, the writer once wrote: the females who have extensive reading will become noble character and ambitious gradually; their speech and deportment are very natural without any rudeness. These females possess permanent beautifulness.B. The Capital of Modern Females Coming from Knowledge What are the modern females? Modern females refer to knowledge females and temperament females. Since the females today are living in modern society, they should keep pace with the times and be modern females. The modern females should have these characters: elegant taste, tolerance, mild disposition, self- respect, independence, wisdom, health and happiness. And the above- mentioned characters are derived from knowledge, the easiest way of acquiring knowledge is extensive reading or learning. The women who like reading and learning constantly will strive to become stronger and wiser. They never depend on men, they are really the women who can conquer men and the world. They can adjust mentality to get happiness easily. They are not only gentle and cultivated but also rigid in principle, they have gentle looks and firm will, they enthuse about their life but never bow down to life. If now you still consider that knowledge is not important for modern female, then please read the following contrasts. Before liberation, most of Chinese females had not knowledge, how about their mind? Although they looked forward to marrying good men, they had to comply with an old system- a woman follows her husband no matter what his lot is. Even if they were maltreated by their husbands, they would be afraid of leaving the men. So three big mountains imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat- capitalism weighted down on the backs of the Chinese people at that time; and there was another big mountain on the backs of the Chinese females, that is the authority of the husband over his wif