The Feminist Consciousness in Pride and Prejudice 英语专业毕业论文.doc

The Feminist Consciousness in Pride and Prejudice Introduction The story of Pride and Prejudice took place in the time of the Regency in Britain. At that time, Britain was at the period of transition from the earlier stage of Capitalism to Capitalist Industrialization. In the countryside, the aristocratic family still held great power and right that country squires were likely to fawn upon them. However, as the development of Capitalism and the expand of the rank of rich people, the distinction between social strata was becoming smaller and smaller, while money was getting more and more important in people’s mind about social value. It is exactly because of the secure pledge in finance that the country squire society could exist strongly and solidly.? The first sentence of the whole novel proclaims, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” Here, “a good fortune” and “in want of” are two key phrases. “In want of” means it is needed objectively, but not subjectively. Such kind of word makes the proposition have more objectivity of “truth”. In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennets are taken as the typical to test the “truth universally acknowledged”.? Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have five daughters, living at Longbourn. Mr. Bennet’s property consists almost entirely in an estate of two thousand pounds a year, which unfortunately for his daughters is entailed in default of heirs’ male on a distant relation. That means there will be no other guarantee for their daughters’ future lives, but their perspective marriages. Therefore, it is no wonder that Mrs. Bennet takes Mr. Bingley as “the rightful property” for their daughters when she hears about that he has one hundred thousand pounds property, though she has not even seen him “A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!” That is the beginning of the novel. The implicit marriage mentioned here obviously co