从女性主义角度看待艾玛的性格表现

从女性主义角度看待艾玛的性格表现摘要：处于18世纪末的英国作家，包括女性作家，几乎都习惯以男性的思维逻辑审视女主人公，把其置于一个为男性所认可的位置。然而奥斯丁却以其独特的女性视角，将女性推入人们的视野，对妇女的弱势地位、不平等权利等问题进行理性的思考。随着女性主义的不断发展，十九世纪涌现出大量女性作家，她们冲破以男性为主导地位的英国文学桎梏，在她们的笔下许多性格鲜明、具有超时代思想的女性形象栩栩如生，她们抵制父系社会的压迫，向往自由、与男性平等的生活。本文主要从性格方面的表现来剖析爱玛的成长，爱玛在生活中经历了种种挫折与失败，但她能在这些过程中吸取经验和教训，并逐步走向了成熟，表现了19世纪初女性主义在社会发展中的成长与进步。关键词：简·奥斯丁；爱玛；性格表现；成因；女性主义AnAnalysisofEmma'sPersonalityPerformancefromthePerspectiveofFeminismAbstract:Intheendofthe18thcentury,MostofBritishwriterslookattheheroinewithmen'slogicpower,putitinthepositionthatrecognizedbymen.Jane,butwithitssharpfemaleperspective,bringswomenwhoareattheedgesanddisadvantageforthelongtermbacktopeople'shorizons,thatmakesushavearationalthinkingtoproblemsofwomen'sstatusandrights.Inthispaper,Emma’sgrowthismainlyanalyzedfromtheperspectiveofherpersonality.Emmahassufferedkindsofsetbacksandfailures,butshegraduallygoestomaturitybygainingexperienceandeducation,whichdemonstratesfeminism’sgrowthandprogressintheearly19thcentury.Keywords:JaneAusten,Emma,personalityperformance,feminismAnAnalysisofEmma'sPersonalityPerformancefromthePerspectiveofFeminism1.Introduction1.1ABriefIntroductionofJaneAustenandEmmaJaneAustenisa19thcenturyBritishnovelist.Hernovelswrittenbyherareforherownfamilymembers.Thereisonethingneedtofigureoutthatherfiction'ssubjectislimited.Hernovelscoveronlythatsectionofsocietytowhichshecouldtouch.PrideandPrejudice(1813),ManifieldPark(1814),Emma(1815),Persuasion(1818),NorthangerAbbey(1818),andSenseandSensibility(1881),theseareallsixnovelsthatAustenwrote.EmmawascreatedbyJanein1815,whichisthemostmatureoneamongallherworks,notonlyinartbutalsointhought.ThisnovelisfocusontheheroineEmma’schoiceofspouseforotherswiththeunfoldingofthestory,ofcourseinwhichherwordsandbehaviorsareridiculousinouropinion.Emmaisthefourth,longestandlastofJaneAusten’sbooksduringherlifetime,thestoryisdevelopedinthevillagearoundrelationsamongEmmaandothermaincharacters.Emmaissoclever,beautifulandrich.Herinvalidfather,Hartifiedliveswithherinthehouse.Emmaispassionateaboutdoingamatchmaker,althoughshetoldherselfnottomarry.Nevertheless,Emmafailsinbringingtwopeopletogether,shefallsintolovewithMr.Knightlyandmarrieshimatlast.1.2CurrentResearchSituationofEmmaEmma,asoneofthebestnovelsofJaneAusten,gainsabundantattentionfromthecritics.WhenitcomestoEmma,mostcriticsplacetheiremphasisonAusten’sopinionofmarriageandadifferentunderstandingofthenovelfromtheperspectiveoffeminism.DeannaK.Kresisel,(2006)interpretsfeminineconsciousnessreflectedfromEmmafromwomen’sstatus,heroinesinEmmaandmarriageviewsinEmma.Itisreallysurprisingthatsomeliterarycriticswriteabouttheironyembodiedinthenovel.ResearchesonEmmahavebeendonebylotsofeminentpeopleandachievementshavebeenalreadymade.However,althoughthemassivepassagesinEmmaareemployedbycurrentcriticstostudythesocialbackground,toexplorethenarrativetechniquesandfeminism,thereisfewpassagestoanalyzethecharacterofEmma.Thepresentpaperwillmakeanattempttoanalyzetheheroinecharacterflawsandtheircauses.1.2.1StudiesabroadThescholarsabroadhavepaidmuchattentiontostudyingtheecologicalvisionseeninAusten’sworks.Asearlyasinthe19thcentury,AustenwasstudiedbyCharlotteBronte,WalterScottandmanyotherscholars,andthenasofthe20thcentury,herworkshavebeenstudiedextensivelyfromvariousperspectives.Astheauthorofsixnovels,shehasbeenstudiedbymostofthescholarsasanironistandmoralist.Herworksarealsostudiedfromsuchaspectsasheruseoflanguage,ofnarrativetechnique,oftoneandofdialogue.JaneSpencerdiscussAusten'snovelsas'theculminationofatraditionofwomen'sfiction'intheRiseoftheWomenNovelist(1986).ThefirstbookdevotedtoAustenasafeministisMargaretKirkham'sJaneAusten,FeminismandFiction(1983),whicharguesthatAustendramatizestheconcernsofEnlightmentfeministsofherdaylikeMaryWollstonecraft.ThreeotherbooksthatofferfeministreadingsofAusten'snovelsareLeroyW．Smith'sJaneAustenandtheDramaofwoman(1983),MaryEvan'sJaneAustenandtheState(1987)，andAlisonSulloway'sJaneAustenandtheProvinceofwomanhood(1989)．MoresophisticatedandprovocativethananyoftheseisClaudiaJohnson'sJaneAusten：Women；PoliticsandtheNovel(1989)，whichpostulatesthat，intheEnglandthreatenedbyrevolutionaryFrance，thedomesticnovelbecomespoliticized,aforuminwhichEdmundBurke'sfavoriteanalogyoftheorderedfamilytotheconservativestatecanbetested．.1.2.2StudiesatHomeInChina,Austen'snovelsarealsointerpretedindifferentways．YangZhengheappliesC．GJung'sarchetypaltheorytoAusten'sworks,．ZhengXiaoguoprobesintotheculturalmeaningimpliedinthetwotypesofmarriageinPrideandPrejudice.Recently,scholarsbegantostudyAustenfromanewperspective—feministperspective，butmostofthemjustfocusonherunconventionalheroinesandherfeministawarenessimpliedbytheseheroines．AlthoughsomeresearcherschoosethisperspectivetointerpretAusten，theyprobeintoherfeminineawarenessonlyfromhercharacterizationofanti-traditionalheroines．Itisregretthatthemalecharacters，especiallythefathercharactersinAusten'snovels，arenotstudiedasfrequentlyandextensivelyasthefemalecharactersinherworks．Actuallytheserolestailalsobeusedasembodimentsof．Austen’sfeministideas，forexample，Mr.WoodhouseinEmma．Apartfromthisorieltheheroineofthisnovel，auniquefemalecharacter-Emma,willalsobeinterpretedinthisthesis.1.2.3PurposeofMyStudyAlltheliteraturementionedaboveservesastheinspirationandsourcesofmystudy.ThispaperaimstosummarizeEmma'spersonalityperformanceandonthisbasis,byanalysingthereasonsofformingsuchacharactersupportedbyfeminismaswellastoreflecttherelationshipbetweenpeopleinsocietyandthewayofthinkingfortraditions.Atthesametimeitsatirizesthesociety.ThispaperanalysesEmmabasedonathoroughandclosereadingoftheoriginalnovelandreferstothescholars’researchpapersbothathomeandabroad.Hopefullythispapercouldgivepeoplesomenewideasaboutpeople'personality.2TheSocialBackgroundEuropeinnineteenthcenturycompletedthehistoricalprocessofforwardfromfeudalismtocapitalism,people'slivingenvironmentimproved,literaturevaluesischanged,peoplefocusmoreandmoreonthemselves.Coupledwiththedevelopmentofcapitalistpoliticsandeconomy,someoftheoriginalsocialrelationsofpeoplegetbroken,especiallyinthisperiod,thedevelopmentofcommodityeconomystimulatespeople'scompetitiveconsciousness,physicalconsciousnessandindependentthinking,peoplebegantogetridofthefeudalshacklescomfortable,sothatthefateischanging.Inthiscase,thecontinuousdevelopmentoffeminismappearedalargenumberofwomenwritersinthenineteenthCentury,theybreakthroughthemaledominatedstatusofEnglishliterature.Theywritelotsofwomencharactersintheirpenwithdistinctpersonality,femaleimagetruetolifelikeness,theyresistthepatriarchaloppression,yearningforfreedom,equalitywithmen.Theseoutstandingfemalewriter'stalentandeffortnotonlybecomethecornerstoneofotherwomenwriters,butalsowonmanymalewritersaffirmationandpraise.Thenwomenthemenovelsisnolongerafemalewriter'spatents,moreandmorewomenintheworksbymalewritersbegantoserveasthemainrole,malewritersshowahithertounknowncare,compassion,respectandpraisetofemalecharacters.Theperiodofeighteenthcenturyromanticliteraturemakesfemalemoreorlesshasbeenliberatedunderoppressionandbondage,theybegantoexpresstheirideasthroughvariousformsofliterature.2.1TheSituationofFeminismInthelongperiodofpatriarchalsociety,womenhavebeendeprivedtherightofequality.Sinceancienttimes,womenhavebeeninthefightforthebasicpowerofherown.Inthefieldofliterature,thewomenarestrugglingforpublichearingtheirownvoice.Repressedfemalesubjectsattempttoreiteratethemselvesbyinferencestrategyorspecificexamplesofgenderconstructioninlanguageornovels.Whentheyusethediscoursetomakeareconstructionoftherealityoftheirown,theygettherightexpressionofpersonalexperience.Inthehistoryofliterature,femaleliteratureisabeautifulscenerylineofworldliterature,femaleliteratureworkswithfeministdistincttendency.Specificperformanceingeneralhavethefollowingcharacteristicsinthecreation:oneisthebrightfeminineconsciousnessorthefeminineangleofview,thesecondisthesubversionofthetraditionalfemaleimageandfeministidea,thethirdistheconsciouslyrevealforwomen'suniqueexperienceoflifeandlifeexperience.Womenhasfullydemonstratedtotheworldwiththeiruniqueadvantagesthroughliterature:feelingfine,concrete,flexible.Womenaregoodatdepictingbeimmersedinlove,lovestory;oftenstartingfromthelife,fromtheneartothedistant,fromthepersonallifetosocialliferefraction.Itcanbesaid,"women'sliteratureisanimportantpartofwomen'sawakening",womenintheliteratureonself-expression,loadedwithwomen'scirclesoflifeandpsychologicalinformation.Femaleconsciousnessistheembodimentofthemostdirectandthemostimportant,becauseitconveysdeepsoulofwomen.Thentaking'femaleconsciousness'asthekeytointerpretationoffeminineliterature,itshouldbesaidthatitisthebestchoice.Forthefemaleliteraturedefinition-theacademiccircleshavebeencontroversial.Butmanyscholarsagreedthatthefemaleauthorshavetopresentthefemaleconsciousnessandgendercharacteristicsforthecontent,andwith"femaleauthor","femaleconsciousness"and"femaletraits"thethreecharacteristicsoftheliterature,itisthefemaleliterature.Thiscleardistinctionofconceptwhichcanavoidthebasicunderstandingofthespecificworkstobevague,butalsoconducivetoacomprehensivestudyoffemaletext.BritishwriterJaneAusten's"Emma"belongstothefemaleliterature.2.2JaneAusten'sexperienceforEmmaJaneAustenwasbornwithastrongculturalatmosphereinafamily.Myfatherisapriestwithquiteasocialimpact,themotherhasagoodculturallevel.Withthisfamilybackground,sothatAustenlikesreading,writing,andactingwithsisters,whichhaslaidasolidfoundationforherlaterenteredthepalaceofliterature.InnineteenthcenturyofEngland,women'ssocialstatusisverylow,theirmarriageistheonlywayout.Thefamilyistheironlystage.Austenopposedthatordinarywomanisjustforpropertyandmarriagewithoutlove.Becausethereisnosuitablemancanmarry,anddespisedbythetutor,Austenchosethelonelinessandpoverty.Sheventedtherepressedanguish,shewantstohaveaownexclusivefreespace,becauseapersonwantstobeabletowrite,mustfirsthavearoomofherown,haveanownaloneandspendhoursplace.Inthisroom,youcanthinkaboutwhatyoucanputinyourownwriting,writesomethingagain,alsocancriticizeyourownthedoings.Youcangowithoutriskthatanyonewhomaydisturbyou.Fromselfishnesssense,we'regladthatsheconformstonoconventionalpatternchoice.Paincanbeapoet,paincanbeawriter.DepressionandpainofpersonallifeandpursuitbecometheinternaldrivingforceofAusten'screation,butalsoprovidingthemostvivid,themostabundantmaterialforherwritingcreation.Inthecountlesslonelydayandnight,Austendescribesthedailychores,secularpeoplewithdelicatestrokes,inaspecialstyle.Toher,writingislifeexperienceandtherealityofresistance,andalsoishersubconsciousrevelationforhappinesslovewhatshedesireswithlonelylife.Soshetakestheworkintoexpressionsofherlifeasanecessaryexistence,onlyherspiritual.Underherwritinglikeanangelundertheperspectiveofyoungmenandwomen'sloveandmarriage,wesawforcesandwomen'sviewofmarriageandpropertyundertheweightofverylowsocialstatusinthefeudalconservative.Theywereexcludedfromthegovernance,economicandideologicalfields,livinginthethreenarrow'world'(namely"church,cooking,children"),spendingeverymomentandgivingthecontributiontothehusband,parents,brothersandsisters,totakecareofthem,sothattheyeaseandcomfort.Formanyyoungwomen,marriageisadecentretreatonly,mostwomencannotfendforthemselves,forthemoney,toproperty,forlife,chooseawedding.ThenovelistJaneAustenlivingintheUKinnineteenthCenturyunderpatriarchaldomination,isawrittenmosttruewriter,oneofthemostcharminghumorous,interesting,thehighest,mostwitty,theleastwriters.Women'sliteraturehasthefullreasonandproudofher.Becauseshewascompletelyoutofthelegendarynovelfieldofpopularfictionandromanticsentimentalstyle,accordingtothereallifewritingportraylife.Herstyleisrelaxedandlivelywithhumorouslanguage.ThelateeighteenthCentury,earlynineteenthcenturyEnglishcountrygentleman'slifewasdepictedvivid,alsotheperformanceofthewriter'suniquelifeexperienceandtheformationofideology.Makereaderslaugh,butmorecompassion,empathyandanger,forthesewhoarenoconsciousness,orsubmitresigned"Aphasia"sisters.Inthefeelingsoftheauthor'ssincere,delicate,richemotionalworldatthesametime,wecannothelpsighthatitisnoteasyforwriter'sforesight.2.2.1AwarenessofequalityThefirstistheawarenessofequality,itisthecornerstoneofwomen'spursuitoffreedom.ThereisnospeakingofequalitybetweenmenandwomenatthetimeofAusten'sBritishsociallife.Theconceptofdiscriminationagainstwomenreflectsinallfieldsofsocialpenetration.ApparentlyAustendismissedsuchanidea,sheengagedinthecreationoftheactitself,whichregardedasrevolttothiscustom.Austenisafreewriterwhoreinsdiscourseofthefemalewithgreatenthusiasmpraisethewisdomandability,calmlyanddeeplyanalysisthelimitationsoftherealitywhentheyfacepersonality.Herseriesofworksshowwithherageconsciousnessoffemaleliberty.Austen'sworksalsocreatedaseriesofpositiveimagesofwomen,theirfemaleconsciousnessofequalityperformanceistoagainstthetraditionalcustoms.Suchwomen,withamodelofAusten'slivinginaprofoundunderstandingofthenewwomen,iscreatedbycarefulobservationofliferealityandtheconsciousnessoffemalesubjectasherown,isdifferentfromthetraditionalwomen.2.2.2FemaleConsciousnessofTheMarriageTheFollowedoneisfemaleconsciousnessofthemarriage.Asaformofgenderintegration,marriageiswomenofallsocialvalueandtheendresultofancientandmodern.Inthelateeighteenthcentury,theBritishstartedtopaymoreattentiontothegentlebelongtowomen,kind,soifawomangetsalltheabovevolumehandsome,elegantfigure,thatisalovelyangel.Suchamarriagelovingnatureistheangelwhoarebeautifulandgentle.Intheprocessofmenandwomenloveandshow,Austen'sideaisdifferentfromthesecularview.Traditionalsecularistsbelievethatwomencannothavetheirownlikesanddislikesinmarriage,sowomenhavenoreasontorefusehispursuitaslongasaman'seconomicconditionscansupporthiswife.Austen'sviewofmarriagecanbesaidtobebuilttoagainstthetraditionalrebel.Inherworks,akindofloveshowsarelationshipundereducationandeducatedusuallybetweenmenandwomen.Forexample,EmmaistaughtbyMr.Knightlytorealizesomething.Shebelievesthatthelegitimatemarriageshouldbecombinedwiththetwosidesbesedonthebasisofmutualrespect.ThroughtheanalysisofAusten'sfemaleconsciousnessofvalueorientation,wecanfindthat:herfeminineconsciousnessgraduallysurfaced,shebegantopayattentiontotheexistenceofsubjectconsciousnessfromtheperspectiveoffeminism.Butjustbeginningwithafemaleconsciousness'sAusten,herworksreflectedthenotpureindependentattitudeofwomen,butawakeningofreasonandwisdomwhenwomenfacedtherealsociallife.Notforwomenchasingforsocialvalue,butthefemalefromthereality,sheisinthepursuitofpositioninthesociallifethroughthemarriageandotherwaysthepursuitofselfbehavior.Shewastryingtotellthereadersfemininelovableandindependentfromtheknowledgeofselfvalue.Inshort,Austenisdifferentfromthefemalewritersinthepast.Especiallysheemphasisonwomen'sculturelevelinthelife.Shebelievesthatitmakeswomenmoreradiant,isalsoanimportantpartofthefemalevalue.Withsuchaculture(thatis,thereisknowledge,thereisareason),thewomancouldcalmlyfacechallangesinlife,especiallyinlovelife.Inordernottolosetheirandnotputtheirownvaluecompletelyattachedonmen,womenneedit.Visible,intheviewofAusten,accomplishment,selfesteemisthecorevalueofwomen.3.Emma'sPersonalityPerformanceInthebeginningofthenovel,Emmaisintroducedtobethemistressofthehousefromaveryearlyperiod,alwaysdoesjustwhatshelikes,andis〝inadispositiontothinkalittletoowellofherself〞(Austen,1994:13).Emmahasbecomequiteintelligentandeducated,butherincreasingknowledge,authority,andpowercontributetohermanyfaults:〝Sheisaspoiledchild.TherealevilsofEmma’ssituationwerethepowerofhavingrathertoomuchherownway.〞(PollemusRobert,1980:56).Indeed,Emmaisself-conceited,snobbishandsubjective;however,sheisnotawareofthesedefectsattheverybeginning.3.1SelfishAsafriend,youshouldbehappyandextendcordialgreetings.However,whenTaylorgetsmarried,sheshouldfeelsad.SheneverthoughtitwoulddelayTaylor'syouthandhappiness.Itisreflectedin"sadly,somesad,itfinallyhappens,Taylormarried"(JaneAusten,1991:57).Especially,itisreflectedin"Sadly,andsomewhatsad,thisthingeventuallyhappened,TaylorI"(JaneAusten,1991:57).Later,shemetHarriet.Harrietwasayoungandbeautifulwoman,butshehasnoideasforherownlife.HarrietwasjustamodelinEmma'sopinion,althoughonthesurface,itseemsthatEmmaandHarrietareclosefriend.ButthisisEmma'opportunitiestoexpressherself.Whenshebecameamatchmaker,Emma'sachievementisreflectedinthelifeforHarriet'lifeplanning.Emmadoesthewholethingisjustgoodforher,herownvanitysatisfied.Inaddition,Emmaisalwaysfocusedonherownlikesanddislikes,rarelycaresaboutotherpeople'sfeelings.WecanseethatfromthethingshetriestopreventHarrietfromacceptingMartin'sproposalofmarriage.3.2Self-conceitInouropinion,Emma'sself-conceitisallhernature,naturaloutpouring.Herpresenceistoospecial,sheregardsherselfasanimportantpersonwhoareintegral.WhenintroducingEmmainthebeginningofthenovel,Austenusessuchvagueadjectivesas"handsome","clever","withacomfortableandhappydisposition"and"seemedtounitesomeofthebestblessingsofexistence"(Austen,1994:11).Allofthesewordsareobviouslygood,becausethisisanelegantandbeautifulforEmma'swelldescription,butinfactIthinkitisakindofironyandnegation.BecauseEmmaisclever,sheisconfidentofthatshehasaremarkableknowledge,remainssecondtononeathighbury.DuetothehighsocialstatusandEmma'sprivilegefamilybackground,hersuperiorityisnotonlyreflectedonthematerial,butalsoinspirit.Sheinsistsontheirownjudgment,andlikestocontrolotherpeople'sthoughtsandfeelings,alwaysthinkssheisthebestallaroundtheworld.Forexample,HarrietlikesMartininherdeepheart,howeverEmmatriestostopthislove,tellsHarriettomakeacarefulconsideration3.3SubjectivityEmma'ssubjectivityconsciousnessisreflectedclearly.Shealwaysdoesthingsonlyaccordingtoherwill,neverlistenstoothers'opinions,thoughsometimesshealsorealizedthatthisishershortcomings.InvestigateitsreasonisthesuperiorsocialstatuspushesEmmatoarrangeotherpeople'sfateandirresponsible.Soshealwaystakesactivelyparticipatein,likestobeamatchmakerforanytwopeople,butnotseriousenough.Herfantasyandimaginationisbasedonthemisconceptionsofpeople'slives.Sheisknownasan"imaginist"(LiYunxia,2002:58).SheisfocusonandfantasizingaboutherfriendshipwithHarrietinthefuture.SheiskeenonmatchingHarrietandMr.Elton,andpersuadedHarriettohavemeditation,butactuallydoesn'tknowMr.Eltonisattractedbyherself.AnotherexampleisthatEmmaimaginedFrankgotbackincourt.EmmathoughthewasinlovewithFrankChurchillforawhile."No,ifhehadrelievedmeatalltosharehisfeelings,heordertonothavehadsowretched\"(Austen,1994:1994).Butin"formingathousandamusingschemesfortheprogressandthecloseoftheirattachment\"(190),shedecidedtoanswer"No",thoughtthatHarrietistheobjectofhisfeelings.EspeciallyhisrescueofHarrietthefromtheGipsiessetsEmma"onfirewithspeculationsandforesight!",shethoughttheymustbeinlove,butinfactisadisappointment.3.4SnobbishInthedevelopmentofthewholestory,theheroineEmma'sindulgeinromanticfantasyandhersuperiorityledtomisleadherfriendHarrietSmithandgiveanunfairlytreatedtoothers.Emma'sattitudetoRobertMartin'sisaveryobviousexample,becauseshethinksheisavery"unfit"forHarrietSmith,heisalowerclassoffarmers.Martin,thisnameisveryrough,matte,andverynotsuitablefornaminginagirl'sname.Emma'sopinionforMr.Martinclearlyshowsthatthebiasbetweentheupperclassandlowerclassinthesociety.Craik(1965:126)evencallsher"asocialsnob,andlooksdownuponMartin,toanassiduousandkindman."(1965-126),Emmainsiststhatpropertyandsocialstatusisthekeytomarriage,soshealwaystellsHarriet,peopleshouldbeawareoftheirposition,anddrawacleardemarcationwiththosewhoarenotreceivededucationorthelowerclasses,andevenseriouswarningHarriettocutoffanyrelationshipwiththem.ForMr.Elton,sheneverthinkstheyareequal,becausesheisupperthanhiminwealth,socialstatusandappearance,thereisnodoubtthatshethinksMr.EltonandHarrietarenotaperfectmatch,evendespisethemaninherheart.4.ReasonsforEmma'sPerformance4.1TheWayofLifeAtHighburysuchaplace,animportantreasonthatleadingcauseoftheformationofEmma'scharacteristhatEmma'slifeistooconservativeandocclusion.ThefirstchapterofEmmawrites:Howwasshetobearthechange?－Itwastruethatherfriendwasgoingonlyhalfawhilefromthem;butEmmawasawarethatgreatmustbethedifferencebetweenaMrs.Weston,onlyhalfamilefromthem,andaMissTaylorinthehouse;andwithallheradvantages,naturalanddomestic,shewasnowingreatdangerofsufferingfromintellectualsolitude.Shedearlylovedherfather,buthewasnocompanionforher.Hecouldnotmeethe