Abstract

       Sense and Sensibility, the masterpiece by Jane Austen, the outstanding female writer, reflects the social status and conventional conceptions held by 19th century British women. On the other hand, Marianne, the hero of the novel offers us an impressive image of resisting traditional rules with her wit and unconventional conception. The novel, on the whole, is a portrait of middle class women’s self-consciousness under the impact of social transformation. Taken it as mirror, this thesis is intended to look into middle class female self-consciousness’s development and changes in current China based on the text analysis of Sense and Sensibility and current Chinese female literature concerning social background, female social status and the development of their self-consciousness in certain ages, which leads safely to the conclusion that social transformation offers both physical conditions and humanity atmosphere for the development of female self-consciousness that turns out to be a way to interpret female issue.

Keywords：middle class female’s self-consciousness，

                     unconventional ideology，social transformation

Chapter 1  Introduction

With the relating of the two heroines engagement and marriage, Sense and Sensibility,the maiden work of Jane Austen, reveals the processes of female pursuing economic dependence through marriage regardless of indignity and romantic feelings in Britain in the age. Both heroines were pursuing equalities in communication and social status as well with independent observation, interpretation and the recognition of choosing their spouse. Jane Austen created an impressive portrait of Marianne, an ideal with unconventional ideology with braveness to resist conventions and sincerity to express herself, but without protection of her sense and feelings. Being smart and beautiful, she holds too much dreams for love with romantic passions. She ignored Colonel Brandon, a thirty five years old gentle man for his seniority and fell in love with handsome playboy Wliioughby.After being deserted, she battered herself with desperation, nearly resulting in death. The painful lessen contributes a lot to her returning to sensibility and determination to marry Colonel Brandon who has no sense of romantics but loves her deeply. Marianne suffered from her full of sense and lack of sensibility while some figures in the novel went to the other extreme. They were poor in sense and rich in sensibility. Their sensibility is the combination of indifference, selfishness and coldness. They were exhausted for counting and making tricks, leading them to embarrassments and ridiculous situations.

Jane Austen’s portrait of Marianne reflected the emergence of middle class female self-consciousness to break through the conventions under the impact of transformation from agriculture to industry in early 19th Britain. In fact, social transformations always have impact on a nation in culture and ideology and produce figures like Marianne passionate to break rules and conventions. To some extend, it goes the same way in China. In the past, women were dependent so far as education marriage and career was concerned, enduring without perspective and getting accustomed to the life as a servant or a toy for men. Under conventional ideology, they took it for granted that a lady without any talent was moral character and their happniess was relied on their spouses’ social status and wealth. Their self-consciousness, however, got developed in the age of social transformation and they had more confidence in their power. Thus, they wanted to set life goals and required more than ever.

This thesis, starting from the text analysis of Sense and Sensibility, is to reveal the conventional and unconventional ideology of British women and the source leading to the change of their self-consciousness. Many scholars in this field (刘霞敏、陆伟芳、田慧莉)agree that Brithish industrial revolution pushed the development of the middle class female self-consciousness. They no longer took marriage as the security of their life and required more than being financially well off. Despite the impact of conventional ideology, they began to feel shameful of a marriage without love and being a belonging of their spouses as they were getting aware of the value of life. However, what was described as norm in Sense and Sensibility matched the current China properly. Ever since the opening and reform, Chinese economy is getting prompted. As a reslult, women status in China has been improved in all aspect, especially in education. The so-called female white-collars and golden-collars, those well educated are more eager to show themselves as well as their self-consciousness. On the other hand, there is also retrogression as described in Women’s Agreement Written by Bi Shumin that it is no easy way for women to maintain their indignities when men, as well as women themselves depress women in the society. The promotion of is closely related to the development of society; where a society goes, female self-consiousness follows.

Chapter 2 Literature Review

Sense and Sensibility is one of the master pieces by Jane Austen. Researches on the work home and abroad focus mostly on it for its being the starting of female literature. The analysis of Liu Xiamin（2006：从浪漫走向世俗的新型女性) about Marianne is that Marianne is a break-through of traditional beauty-and-knight romance and the dawn of female literature. Luo Hongwei and Lie Liantao（2000：奥斯汀与英国女性文学的兴起） also notified that Austen directely connected with the emergence of female literature. These researches offer us the insight that female characters created by Austen tend to be unconventional ones and taken as the ideal images of the age.  From Angel to a Mortal Being, an essay by Lu Yan（2008：从天使到凡人） interprets the evolution of female image in the period between 18^th and 19^th centuries, which finally arrives at the conclusion that the evolution is the result of the change of female self-consciousness.

Researches on British women in 18^th and 19^th century demonstrate that the ideologic change among female was prominent in the period. As to the sources of the change, this thesis will focus more on the conditions contributing to the change mostly based on the researches conducted by Liu Xiamin（2006：从浪漫走向世俗的新型女性) and Lu Yan（2008：从天使到凡人）,namely physical and spiritual condition leading to the tide of tides of female self-consciousness. The method is expected to reveal a new method on the researches of female issues.

Chapter 3  British Middle Class female Social

                 Conditions and ideology on marriage

                  in 19^th Century described in Sense and

                 Sensibility

3.1 Social Background

It is said in the western society that “Men and women are living for each other, but their dependence is not equal. Men can still exist without women while there are problems if women exist without men. The women’s education in all her lives should be planed according to the relationship with men. Women must try to please men, to contribute to men, to win men’s respect and love, to breed men, to take care of men, to comfort and console men and to make men’s lives comfortable and pleasant. ”(罗红卫，聂涟涛，2000∶61） It shows the inequalities in economy, culture and politics in western contries resulted in that women were the belongings of men. Thus, women’s self-consciousness under the condition was their dependence on men. They had to live with and rely on men. This was thier value in the society.“If women want to be accepted and respected, women should like this: they must have a comprehensive understanding on music, singing, painting and dancing.”（李中英，贾秋彦，2002∶201）

The late 18th and early 19th century victimed the transformation of British society from agriculture to industry. With the promotion of efficiency industrialization brought enormous amount of wealth to the society and induced in the change of life style and ideology. Women were without exception. The impact were different for women of different social classes, less on the upper class while most on the middle class. Being of one their spouses’ belongs, women used to stay at home, looking after their husbands and families except for some social occasions. Under the push of indutrialization, some of them had to work for the benefits of their families. It seemed that their social stauts should have been promoted. But, they were just deprived of their spare time and they were doomed to sacrifice for their family. “Upper class women and workers in those workshops are independent individuals, but the middle class women are nothing.”（陆伟芳，2004∶9）that gives us a clear description of the state of middle class women.  “Women in Britain in the 19th century are the least respected in the history.”（David，1981∶105）Under the influence of the society, men naturally got accustomed to looking down upon women.

3.2 Social Status of British middle class women in 19^th Century illustrated in the Works

3.2.1 Social Status

British women of the age were low in social status. Being financially dependent on men, they were lack of self-consciousness and degraded themselves as the belonging of men. After the death of Henry Dashwood, Mrs. Dashwood and the three daughters got in financial trouble for a time. Without heritages from her mother and husband, they could hardly stand the sufferings even with the helps of the relatives and friends. Though in difficulties, Marianne,ignored the engagement of  Colonel Brandon regardless of his wealth and social status. She refuse him for her dream of true love.This, undoubtedly, shows emergence of self-consciousness of middle class women. Most women in the time lost their conscience and deprived the right to make choice for their marriage as they were not entitle the same right of the family property as men in law. John’s wife Fanny Dashwood and her mother Mrs. Ferrarse were typical. They were selfish and indifferent. After Marianne’s father died, Fanny didn’t show any sympathy. Furthermore, she did not follow her husband’s suggestion paying her step mother and three sisters 3000 pounds as essential expense after they left Norland House while eager to moving in it and she “made sure that everyong knew she was mistress of Norland,and that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were there as visitors”（ Jane Austen，2001∶9）that finally made her satisfied. The description of the conversation between Fanny and her husband, John Dashwood on how to help the stepmother vividly revealed Fanny’s greed and selfish. In fact, most middle class women tended to lose themselves in the pursuit of money and comfortable life. To some extend, it is women themselves that give up their personality for profits. The pursuit of immediate needs became their standard for marriage. This is rooted from what they valued. They had an empty soul and had no indignity. Their self-consciousness resembled that of animal, nothing but survival.

3.2.2 Education

Being financially dependent on men, British women in 19^th century were deprived the right in politics and education as well. “Compared with men, women were considered bored to be intellectual lightweight or as aliens who had underdeveloped brain and low ability.”（陈惠，2001∶42）They were hardly given the opportunity to go to school. Few wealthy family hired governers to instruct their daughters at home or send them to boarding schools. They acquired knowledge mostly from their father and brothers in most cases. Even so, most men insisted that ladies might be treacherous if they learnt more. “They were only encouraged to learn playing piano, singing, dancing and other accomplishments which prepared for their future positions as ladies in upper-class.”（陈惠，2001∶42）

Born in a middle class family, Marianne were fortunate in that she got well educated. After her recovery from a serious disease, she said to Elinor,“When I am stronger, Elinor,we will take long walks togther every day.I shall never get up later than six,and I shall spend every morning practising my music or reading.”（Jane Austen, 2001∶200）what she said shows her eagerness to knowledge, which was also the eagerness of some middle class women in the time. Marianne, for being well educated in the age of transformation, defined money unconventionally. “Money can only give happiness where there is nothing else to give it.Beyond answering our basic needs,money is of no use to us at all.”（Jane Austen, 2001∶80）Her passion to resist conventional ideology led to her new definition to happiness, “What has wealth or greatness to do with happiness？”(Jane Austen, 2001∶80）On the contrary, many a woman in the age were not well educated and confined in social and physical circles, satisified with parties and gatherings, talking about dresses and wealth, and being innocent of egoism and the value of life . 

3.2.3 Marriage

In 19^th century Britain，women had no right choosing their spouse，“They could not choose their husbands but be choose by men’s relatives. ”（王晓焰，2007∶28）Nothing but social status and wealth is the standard for a mother choosing a wife for her son. As Mrs. Ferrars chose bride for Adward，“The lady is Miss Morton,Lord Morton’s only daughter,with thirty thousand pounds of her own.Edward’s mother will most generously allow him a thousand a year,if he marries Miss Morton.”（Jane·Austen, 2001∶148） It is equally true that “The most holy behavior of a daughter is to marry a man who can increase the fortune of her family. The age, quality, knowledge and talent of men have nothing to do with marriage.”（田慧莉，2005∶145）“Marriage in 19^th century became more commercial than any time in the history.”（刘霞敏，2006∶82）The conveentional ideology of marriage was to select a wealthy husband with considerable social status. Just like Lucy,when Edward was determined to implement their engagement regardless of his mother’s will, “She had relized that it was now Robert,not Edward,who would inherit his mother’s fortune.Being of similarly selfish character,they were attracted to each other,and decided to get married with speed and secrecy.”（Jane Austen, 2001∶212）“The whole of Lucy’s behaviour in the matter may be seen as a most encouraging example of what self-interest can do to gain wealth and position.”（Jane Austen, 2001∶214） These are all the portraits of conventional ideology on marriage in the time.

Marianne, however was a typical unconvetional one among British middle class women in 19^th century concerning the development of self-consciousness. Once she said to her mother，“I suppose that she could accept the duties of a nurse in order to become a wife.It would be a marriage of convenience,in my eyes it would be no marriage at all.”（Jane Austen, 2001∶42）She alway took love and sense as priority instead of financial profits.

3.2.4 Career

As showed in the work, the career of middle class women was mostly various social activities. Working out is regarded as the shame of the family. They were “angel of the family.”（Jordan，1999∶49），their value lying in nowhere but their families. This was ridiculous as middle class women could not live as carefreed as those of upclass or work as hard as the lower class. Instead, “They were one of the classes who were deeply oppressed.”（杨丹，2000∶63）

The fact is that they could hardly had their own career. Thus, they were financiallydependent. How could they chase after spiritual satisfaction when they were faced with starvation? How could they try to realize their value and pursue the development of self-consciousness?

As a matter of fact, we find in the end of the work that Marianne had to compromise and marry Colonel Brandon who loved her deeply. It seems that her decision is sense returns to sensibilty, but it is not sure that her marring Colonel Brandon would surely lead to happiness. No one can be sure whether Colonel Brandon would desert her as Willoughby did. Without a career, without financial dependence, what else she could do if it did happen?

Therefore, career or job is the essential base for all. Only being financially independent could women maintain their right to pursue freedom free of care. The regretful ending of the story shows an inevitable way for women in the age and implies the importance of career for women.

Chapter 4 Middle Class Women’s Social

                Conditions in China

4.1 Middle Class Women’s Social Status in Traditional

      Culture

Chinese feudal civilization has a long history. In the feudal society, the main lifestyle was men farming and women knitting. Without industry, agriculture was main source of living. The strength of men in farm lands turned out to be their power superior to women in the society. Thus, women, again, became one of the belongins of men. Accordingly, the moralities like 3 obeyings and 4 qualities came into being. “The forerunners Confucion and Mengtzi developed the theory of  ‘yin and yang’  and proposed that man is superior to woman. ”（寿静心，2007∶7）This is obviously closely related to the social conditions. It is not surprising that “Men and women were treated differently ever since they came to the world. Boys slept on bed, weared clothes and played with precious stones. They were the lord of the family once married; girls slept on the ground, wrapped with cloth, played with spindles. Not knowing right from wrong, they would know how to cook and not be blamed by their father and mother-in-law.”（寿静，2007∶134）In that time, boy meant strength and power, which was the essence of survival. It turns out to be the ideology of men heavier than women.

4.1.1 Social Status

Women in the past were entittle no social status at all. It of course, resulted from the social productivity.“Women’s fates were in men’s hands”（寿静心，2007∶9）Why did they take it for granted？Because they were not powerful enough. The essense for them was to avoid starvation in the agricutural society. They had to hand in their fates to man for the sake of survival. Just like those in 19th century Britain，women in feudal China could not go out to work. Their utmost duty was taking care of family. Working out or showing face out was losing the face of the family. A woman’s working out proved nothing but the poverty of her family. Thus, only women from the lowest class would go out to work. Depending on men was a had-to for women.

However, women contribute their intellengnce as well as their blood in the age of social transformation. The liberation war stimulated women’s passion as well. They, in stead of “hiding at home and being homemakers”（寿静心，2007∶8） went out to search for the true meaning of life. Under the force of social transformation，they were to recognize the value of their self-being and their self-consiousness was triggered. Therefore, they were different from the conventional ones and no longer depressed themselves. Instead, they were to call for something new and higher social status.

4.1.2 Education

It has be admitted that women were deprived of the opportunities of education in the time. The conventional ideology in feudal China was that “ The virtue of women was not be a talent”. Like 19th British woman, they could not go to school. What they could learn were music, dancing and painting, which might offer them the opportunty of being a phoenix, a well-being lady. Apart from these skills, nothing was important. Any other talents was useless and just a waste of time. Under the circumstances, it was generally believed that the value of women lied in nothing but marriage and breeding, which was also taken for granted by most women. Mostly because of their well-off families, quite a few women had the opportunty of education. The female dressed in man’s for education in traditional literature reflects their eagerness of receiving education, which reminds us that the famous batterfly tradedy had its setting in school.

4.1.3 Marriage

Under the impact of conventional ideology, marriage in feudal China has no freedom at all. Kid wife and arranged marriage were taken as norm. The parents of a girl were expecting her marring a wealthy family so as to make them better off. Marriage was a deal, an exchange for profit. The case of kid wife was a pure matter of trading worse than any phenomenon in Britain.

An adoptation from Lun Yin’s Seaside Old Acquantance goes like this, “ When I just arrived at the cinema, they were standing by the gate, talking and laughing loudly. Whenever any guest walked by, they tried to appear proudly. It aroused those who enjoyed to be women critics to comment on them. Their comments might not be fair while undoubtedly involved something like vanity.”（庐隐，1986∶93）They have vanity to marry one from a wealthy family, so do their parents.

Another story , Marriage shoe expresses the same thing in different way. “ I had a pair of beautiful red shoes when I was a child. But there hided a bug stinging my toes in the shoe. Whenever I wouldn’t wear them, the olders would put their hand in them pretending to search something and said have them on! How nice are the shoes! ”（毕淑敏，2001∶17）Even in the age of transformation and the push of new ideas, conventional ideology domains. Many a parent remain to take their daughter’s marriage as a goods trading for profits. A man’s quality, morality or talents has nothing to do with the trade.

4.2 Social Conditions of the post-80s middle class 

      women

4.2.1 Social Status

With the opening and reform, women in China have attained more opportunities to demonstrate their egoism and realize their value. “ It is not until 1981 that feminism is an unidentified term for Chinese reader, so are the conception of showing women’s self consciousness, women’s liberation and female literature.”（寿静心，2007∶1）Under the push of the reform, women’s social status and self-consciousness are getting promoted rapidly. Social transformation has a great impact on their ideology, arousing their recognition of social being, their dreams for perspective and the pursuit of the value of life. They are no longer home-beings and men’s belongings.

Some of them turned out to be successful businessman and enterpriser. They earned a great amount of wealth and respect as well. In the age of information, women are meant to do more than marry and breed. Especially for the implementation of one-child, most middle class families do not hold the convention of boy heavier than girl although some may keep on it. Fortunately, most parents are willing to pay both mentally and physically for their only girl. Thus, it paves the way for the promotion of women’s social status though female’s status in political area remains to be improved.

4.2.2 Education

In the age of reform, the development in education is prominent. Girls in urban areas enjoy the same opportunity to go to school. Even back to the regime of Kuomingdang, there were already speical schools for girls. These surely meet female’s demands for education. In the post-80s age, girls from middle class family are generally well-educated. Any girl from middle class family will not miss the chance to go to college so long as she wants. Although there exists a gap between urban and rural area, things are getting better than ever before.

4.2.3 Career

With the opening and reform in China，women have got more opportunities in career. Their achievments in varies fields denied men’s conventional belief that women’s place was at home, breeding and looking after family members. In some businesses, young women prove to be more competent than their male counterparts. Successful women in the real world as well as in TV series and movies are regarded as handsome and manly, which, to some degree, reflects the fact that these women are irreplacable in their career. Although a large number of them in the lowest class are still financially dependent, those white-collared and golden-collared are eager to achieve a lot in their careers. Frankly, we also noticed that women may lose some advantages such as maturity, diligence and enthusiasm once getting married. Especially after having baby, they tend to be inferior in competetitions. Thus, some women may choose to be“angel of the family”, （Jordan，1999∶49）taking it as a natural law. It is a harder for a woman to achieve in career indeed when she has to look after her family at the same time. Even though, we are glad to find that women hold half of the sky now for their equal rights to career. Today, women’s self-consciousness is promptly way up due to their being well-educated and more importantly their equal right in career.

4.2.4 Marriage

Even after 1980s’,family-matching is still dominant in marriage. Women successful in career have to wait longer for ideal marriage while those suffered from poverty have to take their doomed marriage. The white-collared or golden-collared are free of financial cares and thus are more free in choosing their partners. In the age of social transformation, all post-80s women are under its impact, both physically and mentally. The post-80s white-collared and golden collared take their marriage as a pure privacy. Even parents should not be involved in it. Without their parents engaged in, they are more active in engagement and ways of engagement are diverse,too. For them, the most important is not a match in wealth but in character while factors, such as family background, occupation and financial status of their partners are less important. 

Unfortuantely, It is not surprising that money-oriented marriage is also a trend among the post-80s as commercialization comes along with the social transformation. For them, marriage is still a way to make a living.

In this sense, social transformation is a double-edged sword, which may lead us to the two extremes.

4.3  Unconventional Ideology of Middle Class

       Women in Literature

“ I had been a doctor for many years. I wrapped many bloody feet of girls, hurting by the edge of their shoes. After being treated with white bandage, they put on silky stockings and went away elegantly. I am sure when dancing, some of them might have bited their lips abruptly but slightly for the biting of their shoes.”（毕淑敏，2001∶17）With her pen, the splendid female writer showed her resent to those who would pay any pains for wealth and profits. In the same story, she went on saying like this，“ do not wrong your feet for the luxury the shoes show; when others are admring the shoes, you are suffering from the pain. It is always ignored the truth that feet are more important shoes”（毕淑敏，2001∶17）What she said surely suggests the disobeidence of conventional ideas and the rise of self-consciousness.

In the age of social transformation, women with unconventional ideology are trying to pursue indignity and independence. In Women’s Agreement，Yu Rongqiu insists her agreement with the female manager. The agreement that made Doctor Lan puzzeled was nothing but indignity. A beauty who was taken as catty had a surprising requirement，“Madam，I want agreement with you. Nothing to do with money. My husband treats me badly. My daughter has been so frivolous. I tremble to think what money means for her. I don’t want money. I just expect a bow from you if I accomplish the task to collect the debts.”（毕淑敏，2005∶87）What an agreement! It just project her thirsty for indignity.

  Chapter 5  Conclusion

    The analysis of the conventional and unconventional ideologies described in Sense and Sensibility leads us to the conclusion that women’s awareness depends greatly on social transformation, which provides a relatively more tolerant atmosphere for free thoughts. The impact of social transformation is positive for women’s awareness of freedom and political rights. As the work indicates, the social status of middle class women like Marianne was improved in 19th century in Britain, though with confines. They were more free to express their feelings and resents to the society.

On the other hand,it is evident that the impact of social transformation on theirself-consciousness depends on the education they received as well. Without education, social transformation means nothing for them. Equality in education has been achieved in the modern society. Thus, it is the equality in education that  works along with the free atmosphere of social transformation for women’s self-consciousness. Besides, having a career guarantees its development. Being financially independent is the very ground for women to pursue their dreams. Otherwise, they would, just like Marianne, follow their sensibility instead of their sense. What makes us sad is that quite a few among the post-80s, well educated and fairly treated, do not want to be financially independent. Instead, they tend to be dependent on men again with youth as their capital for a marriage deal.

We are feared and confused at the degradation. Fierce competition may be one of the reasons. The ideology, the conventional one, may be the most important, which always leads to sense returning to sensibility. Mariannes are few in any society. What  can the conventional ones do when Mariannes choose to return to sensibility. Thus, the setting of social convention plays a vital role in it. That is reasons for our Chinese to call for a harmonious society, a society of harmony with diversity, proposed by Confucian over 2000 years ago.

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