Lin Daiyu And Sarah Woodruff In Feminist Perspective Of Comparative Study

Cao Xueqin and the English writer John Fowles both depict successfully the feminist roles in their works The Dream of the Red Mansions and The French Lieutenant’s Woman, namely, Lin Daiyu and Sarah Woodruff. Both aroused strong reaction in the literary circles. There are abundant feminist reviews on the two’s feminist revolt respectively, but none of those compared the similarities and differences of the two’s manifestation of revolt. This thesis is to employ comparative method to compare the heroines’life experience and personalities in order to find out the philosophical and historical reasons for the two’s different endings, and at the same time, the theoretical value and realistic meaning of the paper are embodied.First, through the introduction of comparative literature and feminism with their perspective study trends, the possibility and necessity of comparing the two heroines in the perspective of feminism will be demonstrated. On the premise of using Marxism women-theories in our research, we can also use the advanced western feminist theory to analyze the women characters in Chinese works, aided with the comparison and contrast between Chinese and western women, would help Chinese women come to know themselves better in a materialistic way and figure out the right way of gaining equality in a male-centered society.Then by retelling Lin Daiyu and Sarah’s life and love stories, their economic and social status are compared. It’s deducted from Marxist philosophy that economic state decides one’s mental state. Although Lin Daiyu lives with her relatives without her parents’love and care, she enjoys the luxury of life. Whilst Sarah’s sojourn life is pathetic with her actions limited and thought suppressed. Their different endings reflect the effect their life experience have on their personalities.At last, by analyzing the factors that help shape the heroines’personality respectively, the social norms are emphasized which largely determine the heroines’revolting spirit. Feminism developed earlier in the Capitalist west than in the Feudalist China, so we should learn from each other and figure out the best way to illustrate our feminist spirit.