The Enlightened Views On Women's Role And Position In Anthony Trollope's The Prime Minister

Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was a great realistic novelist in the Victorian England. In his prolific writing life, he created more than forty novels, among which, the Parliamentary Series occupied a significant position, for the works displayed before readers the reality in the Great Britain in the 19th century and involved his own reflection on important issues with his broad horizon and sharp observation.This paper aims to reveal Anthony Trollope's views towards women's position and role through the textual analysis of his novel The Prime Minister (1876). And we find that compared with his contemporary famous novelists like Dickens and Thackeray, Anthony Trollope's views on women's role and position are more enlightened and advanced in that the major female characters in this novel are outstanding in seeking the spiritual autonomy in domestic sphere and the political involvement in public one.This thesis is divided into six parts. The first part gives the brief introduction of Anthony Trollope and his The Prime Minister, literature review and the structure of this thesis. Chapter One presents women's conventional role and position in the Victorian Age and Dickens and Thackeray's fictional portrayal of women, which serve as the social and literary background for the revelation of the advanced views of Trollope on women. Chapter Two focuses on the two major female characters' understanding of women's duty, which is frequently and thoroughly discussed by Trollope in this novel, and points out that their conception of women's duty is the spiritual support for their brave behaviors of seeking spiritual autonomy and self-fulfillment. Chapters Three and Four analyze Emily and Lady Glencora's brave rebellion against the oppression imposed on them as women, and illustrate Trollope's understanding and sympathy to their efforts. The two chapters are devoted to the study of Trollope's enlightened views on women's role and position in both domestic and public life. Chapter Three sets out to illustrate Emily's pursuit of spiritual autonomy in the domestic life through her rebellion against the control of her father and the tyranny of her husband and Chapter Four concentrates on Lady Glencora's remarkable ambition and her efforts in political involvement in the public sphere. In the last part, this thesis comes to the conclusion that compared with his contemporary famous novelists Dickens and Thackeray, Anthony Trollope's attitudes concerning women's role and position are more enlightened and advanced.