《妻子与女儿》中女性成长主题研究英语语言文学专业论文.docxVIP

万方数据 万方数据 Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have generously supported me and helped me with encouragement and valuable advice during my writing the thesis. I am especially grateful to Professor Xia Shangli, my respectable supervisor, who has spared no efforts in helping me with the thesis, providing insightful viewpoints and constructive suggestions. My gratitude also goes to the professors who have guided me in the field of literature study in my postgraduate period in Guizhou Normal University. I also want to thank my dear classmates and roommates for their friendship and help during the three years. Last but not least, I wish to extend my sincere thanks and love to my family members for their being supportive, understanding and caring. ii Abstract Lady Elizabeth Gaskell is one of the most outstanding female writers in the Victorian age. With an exquisite description of town life and a vivid portray of natural scenery, her talent for writing has been fully demonstrated in her novels. Her works mostly focus on women’s growth and development, among which “Wives and Daughters” is a typical female initiation novel, yet has not received wide attention from the scholars who study initiation stories. This thesis attempts to analyze the heroine Molly’s growth in a provincial town under the Victorian background with the adoption of initiation story theory, archetype criticism theory and eco-feminism. Conclusions are drawn that this piece of work is a typical female initiation story; and the heroine’s attachment to her father is due to her strong Electra complex, which plays an important part in her development; her sisterhood with her lady friends including her stepsister also works actively in the process. Besides, three death events give her lessons for life and help her to become mature and strong. Through the heroine, the writer’s eco-feminist ideas are well-embodied, and so do her humane concerns for the female in the society. Mrs.