An Analysis Of Jane Austen's Feminist Concerns In Emma

Jane Austen has a special and honored place in the center of the great tradition of the English novel. Although her works are frequently considered as concerning the trivializing domesticity, readers of her novels for generations continually make fresh discoveries about the world depicted in her fictions and are gradually aware of the profound social significance hidden behind Austen's triviality.Contemporary critics have already found feminist elements in the Austen novels. Of all her works, Emma is often regarded as the most representative because it shows clearly Austen's understanding of and feeling about the problems of women in her society. This thesis, by making an analysis of the heroine, Emma Woodhouse as well as other women in Emma, is aimed at finding Austen's feminist concerns reflected in the novel.The first chapter briefly introduces Jane Austen's literary achievements and the critical survey of Emma.The second chapter makes a general overview of theoretic ideas of feminism and in particular feminism in the eighteenth century with its emphasis on women's equal rationality.The third chapter discusses Austen's feminist ideas, including her assertion of women's intellectual power, her radical views on marriage and her concern for women's role in social life.The fourth chapter deals with the projection of Austen's feminist views in Emma. Firstly, Emma is a typical intelligent woman. Although she may make mistakes, she possesses fundamentally sound judgment, equal to and even superior to men. She has perfect self-awareness, an ability of self-criticism. More importantly, Emma has the power of...