ABSTRACT

Salon was a social and artistic activity, usually held by a hostess for entertainment or education. Firstly, by socializing with people in the salon, upper-class women obtained new information. In patriarchy society, women were completely isolated from the public sphere. Secondly, Self-education could be achieved by discussing about readings, paintings and social issues. Thirdly, salons also provided women with opportunities to be in touch with authorities. Women could select and attract mates from those rich men or authorities in the salon. At last, upper-class male and female could make choice of mates through expressing feeling to each other. The thesis focuses on the analysis of one actress’s love experience in Sense and Sensibility，in order to get a deeper and better insight of salons.

Key words:The 18th Century Salon  Choices of Mates  Sense and Sensibility
Upper-class Women
                                                   
摘  要

沙龙是围绕一位女主人开展的社交艺术活动，通常是为了教育或娱乐。由于十八世纪的上层妇女是不可进入公共区域，沙龙无疑是妇女们的世外桃源。首先，沙龙为妇女提供了接触外界的机会，获取配偶信息。其次，通过高谈阔论，妇女们能够提升自我的修养，匹配更高修养的配偶。然后，由于参加沙龙的多为知识分子和权贵，频繁的聚会可以提高接触优质结婚对象的几率。最后，频繁的聚会能让与会者熟悉对方，不仅可以向对方表示爱意，亦可从中了解对方的心意，促进择偶的决定。本文作者通过分析《理智与情感》中的一个女性角色的恋爱经历，从而深入地理解沙龙对上层妇女择偶的影响。

关键词: 十八世纪沙龙  择偶  理智与情感  上层妇女

Chapter One    Introduction
1.1    Background Information
Sense and Sensibility is the first famous novel of Jane Austin and it is full of demonstrations of salon. The novel presents many countryside scenes as well as the daily life of British gentlemen and ladies. Based on the early 18th century upper-classes’ life, Sense and Sensibility portrays the complex marriage conflicts of the main female characters and describes the salon phenomena.