A Comparative Study Of The Heroines Of Pride And Prejudice And Jane Eyre

Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte are both remarkable women writers in the 19th-century English literature. Their representative works --- Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre --- have been enjoying enormous popularity since their publication.By analyzing the two heroines--- Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre from feminism, the thesis finds that they have something in common. Both of them lived in the patriarchal society, while neither of them are the traditional"angel in the house"any longer. By the analysis of their respective characters, it can be clearly seen that Elizabeth Bennet is intelligent and has a somewhat protesting spirit; Jane Eyre is rebellious and desires for equality and liberty. However, compared with Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Bennet still has some limitations in her female consciousness. Elizabeth Bennet is financially and spiritually dependent on Darcy, the hero. In contrast, Jane Eyre is financially and spiritually independent in her relationship with her lover, Mr. Rochester, and appears to be a new woman. The comparison shows that Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre are two heroines who are different in their character and attitude towards love and marriage.This thesis at last makes an inquiry into the reasons for their differences from three perspectives. It can be concluded that their differences are a combined result of the different social and family backgrounds and personalities of the two writers.In short, both Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre reflect the social realities, women's position and women's female consciousness in the certain period their creators were in to some extent. The comparison presents the improvement of women's position and women's female consciousness with the passage of time.