Characteristic Analysis of Women’s Writing Between Chinese and British

Characteristic analysis of women’s writing between Chinese and British ----- Comparison of Elizabeth Bennet and Manzhen Gu

Introduction
Literature includes stories, poems, and plays, especially those that are considered to have value as art and not just entertainment (MACMILIAN). As a vital part of literature, fiction have a long history and variety genres, furthermore women’s writing is a bright spot. This essay will state the similarities and differences between British and Chinese Women’s writing through analyzing personality and social background these two aspects. Finally, there will be a conclusion about the whole analysis.

Authors and Representative works
Jane Austen was an English novelist and also a representative in British Women’s writing. Biting social commentary and masterful use of free indirect speech by using burlesque and irony were her writing characteristic (Mudrick, 1952). Pride and Prejudice was one of her well-known fictions which using a love story to react the reality of the society at that time. Because of the position of higher economic status, they always hold pride attitude to those who are of lower economic status. Darcy supersedes people who are in a lower social class due to his pride. It shows he look down on those who are lower social status. Elizabeth is of a lower class than Darcy which makes their relationship have barrier. Elizabeth was also proud of her ability of perception even though she was in lower economic status. This is the significant reason why she misjudged Darcy and also Wickham. Elizabeth trusted the negative assessment of him, and mistakenly views Darcy's confidence as conceit when she heard of Wickham's indictments of Darcy (Austen, 1813). It also shows the flip side of Elizabeth’s characteristic that is prejudice. There was a famous Chinese women writer called Eileen Chang who was good at using exquisite writing technique to write with her keen feminism vision. “Ban Sheng Yuan" is Eileen Chang’s first complete novel, however, in order to adapt for political reasons it is later renamed "Eighteen Springs". This novel describe several couples miss their true love in trouble times by using the memory of the hero Shijun Shen. Eileen Chang concentrates on the characterization especially the personalization of characters such as Shijun’s kindness and weakness, Manzhen’s infatuation and misery, Manlu’s selfish, and Hongcai Zhu’s impudence.

Personality
Independent and subject consciousnesses are the most attractive personalities of Elizabeth (Guo, 2002). These can be seen from analyzing the relationship between Elizabeth and two men who are Mr. Darcy and Wickham. The first meet between the hero Mr. Darcy and heroin Elizabeth was not going smoothly because Mr. Darcy only invited the two ladies who were come with him together. Moreover, he refused to dance with any other ladies. His apathy offend a lot of people. Thus, everybody thought he was the most proud and unwanted man in the world. Furthermore, Mr. Darcy talked to Mr. Bingley that he thought Elizabeth was nice but not enough to attract him when Mr. Bingley asked him to invite Elizabeth. Unfortunately, Elizabeth heard his words thus she had bad impression on Mr. Darcy. This was the first confliction between Mr. Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice. Even though it is a prejudice for Mr. Darcy, this judgment is meaningful because it made from female who has lower economic status to male who has higher economic status. Elizabeth used her brain to judge the man who has higher social and economic status bravely that means she thought female and male were equal. It also indicates Elizabeth had observation and independent judgment.

Ordinary is the most obvious characteristic of Gu Manzhen. She is a simple, kind-hearted and independent girl who was born into a common family in Shanghai (Pi, 1997). Manzhen worked hard to support her family by holding more posts concurrently and was dutiful to her mother and grandmother very much. After being in love with her colleague Shijun, she looked forward their future. Even though refusing Shijun’s proposal of marriage, she just wanted to wait her family’s living condition has improved or not depend on a man. These all shows Manzhen is an independent woman who wants her family can runs well by her effort. However, due to the responsibility to her family, she decided o keep silent when her sister gave her to Hongcai who is her sister’s husband in order to get help from Hongcai to support family. This ridiculous ways react her dastardliness in some degree.

Comparing these two characters, Elizabeth and Manzhen both have kind-hearted and independent. Elizabeth made effort to let her sister and Mr. Bingley get together and used her own brain to make a judgment on Mr. Darcy. Even though the judgment is prejudice, it is precious she can judge higher economic status in such hierarchy society. As for Manzhen, she put her family benefit at first and did not want to depend on man for living. In a word, these two ladies have women’s traditional virtues. However, the differences between them are obvious as well. Elizabeth insisted on chasing her true love ignoring secular rule but Manzhen gave up her pure love to be a mistress which shows her cowardice.

Social Background
What make these two ladies have different endings even though they both have the same loving heart? Social background is the most significant point leading to this. “Pride and Prejudice” was happened during the Regency period (Datta, 1986). Women were second class citizens, and only men could inherit land and property. This is why Mrs Bennet, with 5 daughters, was so eager to marry them off, they could not inherit the estate on the death of their father and it must by law go to the closest male relative who is the odious Mr Collins. Although his was higher ranked than hers, both Mr Darcy and Elizabeth coming from good families that is the reason why Elizabeth judged Mr. Darcy by using the information she collected bravely. Women of their rank would not work. Only lower class women would work, as servants or farm hands. Those from the middle classes or aristocracy were expected to be basically amusing baby machines, educated in needlework and playing a musical instrument. Marriage among the wealthy classes was frequently arranged; remember Darcy was promised to someone as a child simply to keep the aristocratic line going. However, independent-minded was spread at that period (Bhattacharyya, 2005).The turn of the age gestates various ideas which lead Elizabeth to have independent thinking and brave pursuit of her love.

The story of “Ban Sheng Yuan” was happened the colonial and semi-colonial and modern city Shanghai (Meng, 2001). Due to Complex social background, new eras of as female were actually the appearance of “new generation” under the traditional female (Jia, 2011). Some of these women had old-fashioned elegant accomplishment; some had received a modern university education, and even had studied abroad. However, they were faced with "Nora is gone" common predicament, neither independent in the modern urban society, but also far from the revolutionary movement, only regarding “the marrying kind” as their only occupation and a way out. The experience of education was just chip for marriage. Manzhen maybe was an exception; she wanted to raise her family by her own strength rather than depended on man. However, she married with Hongcai when they have baby due to be affected by traditional concepts. Social background decides she needs to obey the traditions instead of living for herself.
Comparing to these two social backgrounds, the style of female's costume was deeply affected by male's aesthetic standard both existing in British and China. The difference is British society forming as hierarchy mainly and male chauvinism existing in Chinese society as mainstream. In addition, Elizabeth was born in a moderate family but Manzhen had a family needs her support. These all lead Elizabeth could seek her love bravely after discarding prejudice and the love between Manzhen and Shijun was missed because of Manzhen’s cowardice.

In conclusion, this essay analyzes the personalities of Elizabeth and Manzhen who are the heroines of “Ban shen yuan” and “Pride and Prejudice”. Even through these two ladies were at various times in different counties, they were all independent women meanwhile try to look for their true love. However, the different social backgrounds contribute to Elizabeth’s courageous and Manzhen’s cowardliness these two different characteristics.

Reference

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