Jane Austin as a Woman Novelist.docx

Jane Austin as a Woman Novelist.docx

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JaneAustinasaWomanNovelist

安徽工业大学英语专业

学年论文

JaneAustenasaWomanNovelist

专业英语专业

姓名陈婧丁雅洁

学号089134074089134076

成绩

指导教师洪流王平

2011年1月

Contents

Abstract…………………………………………………….………………………..1

摘要.……………………………………………………………………...1

1Introduction………………………………………………………2

2Biography…………………………………………………………………………3

2.1Educationanditsinfluenceonherworks……………………………………3

2.2Juveniliaandadulthood………………………………………………………4

3Mainworks………………………………………………………………………4

3.1CharacteristicsofherWorks……………………………………………………5

3.2Publishedmainworks…………………………………………………………5

4Reception………………………………………………………………………5

4.1Contemporaryresponses………………………………………………………6

4.2Nineteenthcentury……………………………………………………………6

4.3Twentiethcenturyandbeyond…………………………………………………7

5Conclusion……………………………………………………………………7

6Bibliography…………………………………………………………………7

JaneAustenasaWomanNovelist

Abstract:

JaneAustenwasanEnglishnovelistwhoseworksofromanticfiction,setamongthegentry,earnedheraplaceasoneofthemostwidelyreadwritersinEnglishliterature,herrealismandbitingsocialcommentarycementigherhistoricalimportanceamongscholarsandcritics.Austen'sworkscritiquethenovelsofsensibilityofthesecondhalfofthe18thcenturyandarepartofthetransitionto19th-centuryrealism.Herplots,thoughfundamentallycomic,highlightthedependenceofwomenonmarriagetosecuresocialstandingandeconomicsecurity.

Keywords:

novelist,realism,woman

摘要：

简奥斯汀是英国小说家，其小说中的浪漫绅士集作品，使她成为英国文学界最受欢迎的作家之一，她的现实主义和犀利的社会评论使其成为最重要的学者和评论家的之一。

奥斯丁的作品批判了18世纪下半叶的感伤主义，也是19世纪现实主义的过渡。

她的故事虽然是虚构的，但反映了女性对婚姻的依赖以确保社会地位和经济保障。

关键字：

小说家，现实主义，女性

1Introduction

JaneAustenisoneoftherealisticnovelists.Shedrewvividandrealisticpicturesofeverydaylifeofthecountrysocietyinhernovels.JaneAusten’smainconcernisabouthumanbeingsintheirpersonalrelations,humanbeingswiththeirfamiliesandneighbors.Storiesofloveandmarriageprovidetheframeworkforallhernovelsandinthemwomenarealwaystakenasthemajorcharacters.

2Biography

2.1FamilyanditsinfluenceonJaneAusten

Austen'simmediatefamilywaslarge:

sixbrothersandonesisterCassandraElizabeth,CassandraElizabethwasAusten'sclosestfriendandconfidantethroughoutherlife.Ofherbrothers,AustenfeltclosesttoHenry,whobecameabankerand,afterhisbankfailed,anAnglicanclergyman.Henrywasalsohissister'sliteraryagent.HislargecircleoffriendsandacquaintancesinLondonincludedbankers,merchants,publishers,painters,andactors:

heprovidedAustenwithaviewofsocialworldsnotnormallyvisiblefromasmallparishinruralHampshire.

Austenlivedherentirelifeaspartofaclose-knitfamilylocatedonthelowerfringesoftheEnglishgentry.Shewaseducatedprimarilybyherfatherandolderbrothersaswellasthroughherownreading.Thesteadfastsupportofherfamilywascriticaltoherdevelopmentasaprofessionalwriter.Herartisticapprenticeshiplastedfromherteenageyearsuntilshewasabout35yearsold.Duringthisperiod,sheexperimentedwithvariousliteraryforms,includingtheepistolarynovelwhichshetriedthenabandoned,andwroteandextensivelyrevisedthreemajornovelsandbeganafourth.

2.2Education

In1783,accordingtofamilytradition,JaneandCassandraweresenttoOxfordtobeeducatedbyMrs.AnnCawleyandtheymovedwithhertoSouthamptonlaterintheyear.BothgirlscaughttyphusandJanenearlydied.Austenwassubsequentlyeducatedathome.Austenacquiredtheremainderofhereducationbyreadingbooks,guidedbyherfatherandherbrothersJamesandHenry.GeorgeAustenapparentlygavehisdaughtersunfetteredaccesstohislargeandvariedlibrary,wastolerantofAusten'ssometimesrisquéexperimentsinwriting,andprovidedbothsisterswithexpensivepaperandothermaterialsfortheirwritinganddrawingPrivatetheatricalswerealsoapartofAusten'seducation.Fromwhenshewassevenuntilshewasthirteen,thefamilyandclosefriendsstagedaseriesofplays,includingRichardSheridan'sTheRivals（1775）andDavidGarrick'sBonTon.Whilethedetailsareunknown,Austenwouldcertainlyhavejoinedintheseactivities,asaspectatoratfirstandasaparticipantwhenshewasolder.

2.3Juveniliaandadulthood

Perhapsasearlyas1787,Austenbegantowritepoems,stories,andplaysforherownandherfamily'samusementAustenlatercompiled"faircopies"of29oftheseearlyworksintothreeboundnotebooks,nowreferredtoastheJuvenilia,containingpiecesoriginallywrittenbetween1787and1793.ThereismanuscriptevidencethatAustencontinuedtoworkonthesepiecesaslateastheperiod1809–11,andthathernieceandnephew,AnnaandJamesEdwardAusten,madefurtheradditionsaslateas1814.AmongtheseworksareasatiricalnovelinletterstitledLoveandFreindship,inwhichshemockedpopularnovelsofsensibility,andTheHistoryofEngland,amanuscriptof34pagesaccompaniedby13watercolourminiaturesbyhersisterCassandra.

Austen'sHistoryparodiedpopularhistoricalwriting,particularlyOliverGoldsmith'sHistoryofEngland（1764）.Austenwrote,forexample:

"Henrythe4thascendedthethroneofEnglandmuchtohisownsatisfactionintheyear1399,afterhavingprevailedonhiscousin&predecessorRichardthe2nd,toresignittohim,&toretirefortherestofhisLifetoPomfretCastle,wherehehappenedtobemurdered.Austen'sJuveniliaareoften,accordingtoscholarRichardJenkyns,"boisterous"and"anarchic";hecomparesthemtotheworkof18th-centurynovelistLaurenSterneandthe20thcenturycomedygroupMontyPython.

In1793,Austenbeganandthenabandonedashortplay,laterentitledSirCharlesGrandisonorthehappyMan,acomedyin6acts,whichshereturnedtoandcompletedaround1800.ThiswasashortparodyofvariousschooltextbookabridgmentsofAusten'sfavouritecontemporarynovel,TheHistoryofSirCharlesGrandison（1753）,bySamuelRichardson.HonanspeculatesthatatsomepointnotlongafterwritingLoveandFreindship[sic]in1789,Austendecidedto"writeforprofit,tomakestorieshercentraleffort",thatis,tobecomeaprofessionalwriter.Whenevershemadethatdecision,beginninginabout1793,Austenbegantowritelonger,moresophisticatedworks.

Between1793and1795,AustenwroteLadySusan,ashortepistolarynovel,usuallydescribedashermostambitiousandsophisticatedearlywork.ItisunlikeanyofAusten'sotherworks.AustenbiographerClaireTomalindescribestheheroineofthenovellaasasexualpredatorwhousesherintelligenceandcharmtomanipulate,betray,andabusehervictims,whetherlovers,friendsorfamily.Tomalinwrites:

"Toldinletters,itisasneatlyplottedasaplay,andascynicalintoneasanyofthemostoutrageousoftheRestorationdramatistswhomayhaveprovidedsomeofherinspiration....ItstandsaloneinAusten'sworkasastudyofanadultwomanwhoseintelligenceandforceofcharacteraregreaterthanthoseofanyonesheencounters."

3Mainworks

3.1CharacteristicsofherWorks

Shedrewvividandrealisticpicturesofeverydaylifeofthecountrysocietyinhernovels.JaneAusten’smainconcernisabouthumanbeingsintheirpersonalrelations,humanbeingswiththeirfamiliesandneighbors.StoriesofloveandmarriageprovidetheframeworkforallhernovelsandinthemwomenarealwaystakenasthemajorcharactersJaneAustenissuccessfulintheemploymentofironyandfrequentuseofwittyanddelightfuldialogues.

3.2Publishedmainworks

DuringhertimeatChawton,JaneAustensuccessfullypublishedfournovels,whichweregenerallywell-received.ThroughherbrotherHenry,thepublisherThomasEgertonagreedtopublishSenseandSensibility,whichappearedinOctober1811.Reviewswerefavourableandthenovelbecamefashionableamongopinion-makers,theeditionsoldoutbymid-1813.Austen'searningsfromSenseandSensibilityprovidedherwithsomefinancialandpsychologicalindependence.EgertonthenpublishedPrideandPrejudice,arevisionofFirstImpressions,inJanuary1813.Headvertisedthebookwidelyanditwasanimmediatesuccess,garneringthreefavourablereviewsandsellingwell.ByOctober1813,Egertonwasabletobeginsellingasecondedition.MansfieldParkwaspublishedbyEgertoninMay1814.WhileMansfieldParkwasignoredbyreviewers,itwasagreatsuccesswiththepublic.Allcopiesweresoldwithinsixmonths,andAusten'searningsonthisnovelwerelargerthanforanyofherothernovels.

AustenlearnedthatthePrinceRegentadmiredhernovelsandkeptasetateachofhisresidences.InNovember1815,thePrinceRegent'slibrarianinvitedAustentovisitthePrince'sLondonresidenceandhintedAustenshoulddedicatetheforthcomingEmmatothePrince.ThoughAustendislikedthePrince,shecouldscarcelyrefusetherequest.ShelaterwrotePlanofaNovel,accordingtohintsfromvariousquarters,asatiricoutlineofthe"perfectnovel"basedonthelibrarian'smanysuggestionsforafutureAustennovel.

Inmid-1815,AustenmovedherworkfromEgertontoJohnMurray,abetterknownLondonpublisher,whopublishedEmmainDecember1815andasecondeditionofMansfieldParkinFebruary1816.EmmasoldwellbuttheneweditionofMansfieldParkdidnot,andthisfailureoffsetmostoftheprofitsAustenearnedonEmma.ThesewerethelastofAusten'snovelstobepublishedduringherlifetime.

WhileMurraypreparedEmmaforpublication,AustenbegantowriteanewnovelshetitledTheElliots,laterpublishedasPersuasion.ShecompletedherfirstdraftinJuly1816.Inaddition,shortlyafterthepublicationofEmma,HenryAustenrepurchasedthecopyrightforSusanfromCrosby.A