Austens Moral Concern in Sense and Sensibility《理智与情感》英语论文.docx

Austens Moral Concern in Sense and Sensibility《理智与情感》英语论文.docx

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AustensMoralConcerninSenseandSensibility《理智与情感》英语论文

摘要

道德是简·奥斯丁小说中的中心要素。

作为进入公众目光的第一部奥斯丁小说，为了理解奥斯丁从而应该得到更多的注意和精力,《理智与情感》不仅仅是道德准则中的一个简单的问题而是应该引导人们的生活。

奥斯丁并不是认为道德准则不该遵循，也不是因为我们的判断经常被我们的期望而影响，而是它并不只是个简单而易懂的事情。

许多18世纪后期出版的行为书籍提出规则意味着控制行为。

这些行为书籍指出那些遵守礼貌和道德的女人是有道德的并且应被奖赏。

个体特征、婚姻、家庭和社会是到研究这部小说角色的焦点所在。

在分析奥斯丁关于婚姻、宗教和长子继承权的观点的基础上，这篇论文为研究这部小说运用了文学伦理学批评的方法,目的是为了寻找其中的道德感并且最终了解奥斯丁的道德观。

关键词：

道德感；简·奥斯丁；理智与情感

Abstract

MoralityisacentralelementinJaneAusten’snovel.SenseandSensibility,asthefirstofAusten’snovelstoenterthelightofpublicday,deservesmoreattentionandenergyinordertounderstandAusten,thoughnotasasimplequestionofthemoralrulesthatoughttoguidepeople’slives.ItisnotthatAustendoesnotthinkthattherearemoralprinciplesthatoughttobefollowed,butthatitisnotasimpleandstraightforwardmatter,notbecauseourjudgmentisofteninfluencedbyourdesires.Manyconductbookspublishedinthelateeighteenthcenturyofferedrulesmeanttogovernconduct.Theseconductbookssuggestedthatwomenwhofollowtherulesformannersandmoralswouldbebothgoodandrewarded.Individualtraits,marriage,familyandsocietyarethefocustoapproachthecharactersinthenovel.BasedontheanalysisofJaneAustin’sviewpointaboutmarriage,religionandprimogeniture,thisessayusesethicalliterarycriticismtoapproachthenovel,inordertofindthemoralsenseinitandfinallyseeAusten’smorality.

Keywords：

moralsense;JaneAusten;SenseandSensibility

Contents

Chapter1Introduction

1.1IntroductiontoJaneAusten

Inthe19thcentury,thereappearedseveraldistinguishedEnglishnoveliststhatareheadedbyDickensandThackeraywhodominatedaliteraturetrendnamedCriticalRealism.Butwomennovelistshadsteppedonthestageofliteratureasearlyasthesecondhalfofthe18thcentury.ThensomebrilliantfemalenovelwritersachievedandcontributedtothedevelopmentoftheEnglishnovel,oneremarkablememberofwhomisJaneAusten.JaneAustenwasbornonDecember16,1775,inSteventonrectoryinHampshire,England,whereshespentheryearsofchildhoodandyouth.AftertwounsuccessfulattemptstofindagoodboardingschoolfortheAustendaughters,theyreturnedhomeandeducatedthemselvesfromtheresourcesoftheirfather’sextensivelibrary,andcertainlywithhisguidance.Attheageofabouttwelve,JanebegantowritedownsomeofthestoriesshehadprobablytoldCassandrainthebedroomtheyshared.Shecopiedthestoriesintothreemanuscriptbookswhichshelabeled“VolumetheFirst”,“VolumetheSecond”and“VolumetheThird”.Atfifteen,herwritingisalreadymarkedbyhercharacteristicneatstylishnessandcrispirony.In1795-6,Janebeganwriting“FirstImpression”,thefirstdraftofPrideandPrejudice.ShereaditaloudtoherfamilyanditimpressedherfathersomuchthathewrotetoaLondonpublisher,offeringtosendthemanuscript.However,theofferwasrefused.In1801JanemovedwithherparentsandhersistertoBath,wheretheyremaineduntilafterthedeathofherfatherin1805.Withhermother,CassandraandMarthaLloyd,herlifelongfriend,shethenlivedonSouthamptonfrom1806to1809.InJuly1809allfourwomenmovedtoChawton,inHampshire,whereJaneremaineduntilMay1817,whenshewenttoWinchesterbecauseofillhealth.Shediedthere,unmarriedonJuly18,1817,andwasburiedinWinchesterCathedral.Fourofhernovels,SenseandSensibility,PrideandPrejudice,MasfieldParkandEmmawerepublishedwhileshewaslivingatChawton.Hertwoothernovel,NorthangerAbbeyandPersuasion,werebroughtoutinDecember1817,afewmonthsafterherdeath.

Inhershortlifetimeof41years,sheneverwentoutofthecircleofherlife.“Ofeventsherlifewassingularlybarren:

fewchangesandnogreatcrisisevenbrokethesmoothcurrentofitscourse”（J.E.Austen-Leigh,1991:

1）.Becauseofherlimitedpersonalexperiences,Austen’sfieldofversionoftenfocusedontheordinarylifeandtheassociationoftheso-calledrespectablemiddle-classfamiliesinvillagestowhichshewasfamiliar.Herworknevertoucheduponthethemesofsex,violence,death,radicalbehavior,dramaticconflictsandtragediesaboutwhichthewritersinthepasttookdelightintalking;whatsheconcernedwaseverydaycomicsinvillagefamilies,especiallythecomicexperienceofprovincialgirlshuntingforhusbands.TheBennetdaughtersinPrideandPrejudice,theDashwoodsistersinSenseandSensibility,HarriatSmithinEmmaarealllikethat.AlthoughlivingthroughtheperiodoftheFrenchRevolution,thisgreathistoricalchangeneverhadanyinfluenceonherworksandthestoriesandthecharactersinherpenarealloflyricalandpastoralflavor.“AustenisoftenhappytofollowtheCinderellaplot,andtomakeahappyendingoutofmarryingherheroinetoamannotablyaboveherinincomeandsocialprestige”（Copeland&Mcmaster,2002:

117）.

JaneAusten’sverystyleofherworkswascriticizedbysomecriticsandwriters.CharlotteBronteeverdemurredthatshe“shouldhardlyliketolivewithherladiesandgentlemenintheirelegantbutconfinedhouses”（ZhuHong,1985:

50）.Mrs.Browningstatedthat“Austen’scharactershadnosoulsandwerelackofdepthandwidth”.（Ibid,P5）However,thosewhoappreciatedherpraisedhighlyforherfineart.TheBritishfemalewriterVirginiaWoolfsaidinherfamousARoomofOne’sOwn:

“Ofallgreatnovelists,JaneAustenisthemostdifficulttocatchintheactofgreatness”（Ibid,P5）.

ReallythesubjectmattersofAusten’snovelsarelimitedtoanarrowandsmallfield,butjustinthisnarrowandsmallfieldshelingeredallherlife.Thussheknewaboutitsoclearlyandthoroughlythatshehadabilityandconditiontocreatethefirstscaleofgenerally-acknowledgedBritishrealisticnovelsinthenineteenthcentury.Sheremainsfundamentallyconcernedwiththesocialrealityofherlife.Inherlifeandinhernovels,Austentakesupresidenceinthemiddleworldoflife,theworldofsmalltowns,ruralhamlets,countryhouses,occupiedbylandedgentryandtheirrelation,Anglicanclergymenwithmodestlivingsandlargefamilies,thedaughtersandthesecondandthethirdsonsofnoblefamilies,relativesofmilitaryandespeciallynavalofficers.“ClassdifferencewasofcourseafactoflifeforAusten,andanacuteobservationofthefinedistinctionsbetweenonesociallevelandanotherwasanecessarypartofherbusinessasawriterofrealisticfiction”（Copeland&Mcmaster,2002:

115）.

AllJaneAusten’sworksshowarecognizablestandardofvalues.Herfatherwasacountrychurchman;hisfamilyremainedfaithfulChristianthroughouttheirlives,andwentregularlytochurch.Janetookitforgrantedthatapersonshouldbesincere,unselfish,disinterestedandunworldly,andthatvirtueshouldbejudgedbygoodsenseandgoodtaste.Thesebeliefsarefundamentaltoherwork.InSenseandSensibility,thefirstofhernovelstobepublished,theimpetuousMarianne,whojudgesbytheheart,iscontrastedwithhersisterElinorwhobelievesthattheheartshouldbedisciplinedbygoodsenseandmoralprinciple.“JaneAustenwasequallypreparedtolaughatthosewhothoughtitrighttoliveentirelybytheiremotions”（Gillie,2005:

30）.PrideandPrejudiceshowsthefoolishnessoftrustingtofirstimpressionswhicharecorrectedbyunderstandingandreflection.

JaneAustenlivedinthetransitionperiodbetweentheeighteenthandnineteenthcenturies,butshebelongedmuchmoretotheeighteenthcenturythantothenineteenthcentury.Threeofhernovelswerewrittenbefore1800andtheotherthreebetween1812and1816.“Englishsocietyinthelateeighteenthcenturywaslargelymadeupofaseriesofruralcommunicationsgovernedinpaternalisticfashionfromthegreathousebyanumberofthegentryorthearistocracywhoownedhisauthorityandprestigetotheownershipofland.”（DavidMonaghan,1980:

1）Together,thearistocracyandgentryownedmorethantwo-thirdsofallthelandinEngland.Thatis,thelandedfamiliesatthattimeinEnglandwerethemostimportantsocialhistoryamongmanycurrents.InAusten’sday,thearistocracyandtheinheritanceoflanddependedheavilyonthesystemofprimogeniture.Justasonlytheeldestsoncaninheritapeerage,sothebulkoflandwouldnormallydescendbythesamesystem.

1.2IntroductiontoSenseandSensibility

SenseandSensibilityisanovelbyJaneAustenthatwasfirstpublishedin1811.Itisabouttwosisters,ElinorandMarianneDashwood.TheunexpecteddeathofMr.Dashwoodforcesthesistersandtheirmothertolivewithagreatlyreducedincomebecausethefamilyestateislefttoasonbytheirfather’sfirstmarriage.TheyareforcedtoleaveNorland,theirhomeinSussex,tomovetoacottageontheestateofacousin,SirJohnMiddleton,ofBartonParkinDevonshire.Elinor’sprudencewelcomethismove,eventhoughitwillgiveherfewopportunitiestoseeEdmundFerrars,theamiablebrotherofhersister-in-lawandtheheirtoalargeestate.AtBarton,MariannemeetsandfallsdeeplyinlovewithJohnWilloughby,thecousinofaneighbor.Bothrelationshipsencounterproblems.ElinorlearnsthatEdwardFerrarshaslongbeenengagedtothevulgar,ambitiousLucySteele.Hissenseofhonorwillneverpermithimtobreakhisengagement,thoughhenolongerlovesher.WilloughbyabruptlydisappearsfromBarton.Marianne,distraught,pursueshim.Whenshefindsoutthathehasmarriedawealthyheiress,shebecomesdangerouslyill.ColonelBrandon,aneighborformBarton,doeseverythinginhispowertobringassistancetoMarianne.MeanwhileEdwardloseshisinheritance,andLucySteelesuddenlyelopeswithhisyoungerbrother,nowtheheir.Being