Abstract

In the 19th century, with the development of the industrial revolution and capitalist expansion, the British economic and political situation, which used to be monopolized by the noble, had undergone great changes: bourgeoisie and proletariat were growing quickly. Meanwhile, the British feminism consciousness was awakening. Before the Victorian era, the pursuit for most women was to marry a noble family, but Jane Eyre broke the shackles of the image of women. Jane Eyre has successfully created a brave, rebellious, self-esteemed woman image with the pursuit of equality and independence. Furthermore, her relentless pursuit of true love also exerted influences on other women at that time. Although Jane is plain, she leaves readers a very deep impression because of her unique personality. She awakens more women to stand up for the equal rights as men. Despite her low status, Jane does not give up pursuing of love and happiness. No matter how chaotic environment is, Jane never loses hope and faith. This thesis analyzes Jane’s distinctive characteristics and tries to explore the reasons mainly from the perspective of the 19th century social backgrounds and Jane’s personal experience in order to enhance better comprehension of Jane Eyre in literary work.

Key words: Jane Eyre; characteristics; pursuit of independence; pursuit of true love; feminist consciousness
 
摘要

随着工业革命的展开和资本主义的发展，19世纪的英国打破了贵族垄断经济和政治的局面，资产阶级和工人阶级迅速壮大，建立起民主化的政治模式。在这种背景下，英国的女性意识开始觉醒。在维多利亚时代前，女性最大的追求就是嫁入贵族家庭，而《简爱》的诞生打破了对女性形象的束缚，《简爱》成功塑造了一个勇于反抗、自尊自爱、追求平等和独立人格的新女性形象。尤其是她对纯洁爱情的不懈追求更对当时的女性有其独特的影响力。她虽然朴素无奇，但使读者因为她独特的性格对她印象深刻。她使更多的女性意识开始觉醒，开始为他们能有和男性同样的权利而反抗。她虽然自身地位低下，但却没有放弃追求爱情和幸福。无论环境如何混乱，简爱从来都没有遗失过希望和信念。然而，简爱的性格不是一天铸就的，社会的历史现状是一方面，另一方面，简爱的个人经历也是不可或缺的重要因素。本文从分析简爱的典型性格特征入手，并从19世纪的社会背景和主人公的个人经历角度，探索简爱的性格形成原因，以期能促进对简爱这一文学形象的更深入理解。

关键词：简爱；性格；追求自由；追求真爱；女性主义意识