A Comparative Study Of Downton Abbey And Pride And Prejudice In Feminist Perspectives

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen has always been in the spotlight of feminist literary criticism since the first wave of feminism.Hundreds of years later,a British drama Downton Abbey also draws much attention and gains its popularity due to its conspicuous manifestation of feminist spirits.The two works,respectively by Austen and Fellowes,share similar plots along the same story line,that is,the heroines' fight for inheritances and satisfied marriage for the ultimate goal of self-fulfillment.in a gender-discriminating society.Unlike Pride and Prejudice,which has always been a focus in literatary reviews and studies,Downton Abbey,for all its popularity,hasn't been given academic and systematic studies.Given the similarities between the two works,this thesis attempts to compare Downton Abbey with Pride and Prejudice,with a view that studies of a classic work may facilitate the research on a new work like Downton Abbey.The analysis in this thesis draws on the perspective of feminist theory and covers several aspects of the work,namely,people's stereotypical attitudes towards the female,obstacles for women in marriage,the shackle for women in labor and work,and the men's tormenting experience resulting from the imprisonment of women.The thesis concludes that Downton Abbey not only inherits,but also extends the feminist theme of Pride and·Prejudice.In the light of history,Fellowes exerts a profound insight into the present social status of women by portraying female figures against the background of the early 20th century,when the first wave of feminism surged.He blatantly appeals for fairness to women both at work and at home,which is relatively weak in Pride and Prejudice.Hopefully,the studies in the thesis will opens up in turn a new possibility of appreciating Pride and Prejudice in new perspectives,and assimilating the feminist literary criticism theory.