摘 要

《茶花女》是小仲马最出名作品，也是法国文学史上第一个把妓女搬上舞台的作品。作品中主人公玛格丽特是一位妓女。起初迫于生计，她完全依赖于男性， 麻木地周旋于富家子弟之间。当放荡的生活使她病入膏肓，并当她生病期间遇见善良真诚的阿尔芒时，她决心要摆脱以前的生活以追求真爱与自由。对父权社会的反抗和对爱情的追求，使她获得了短暂的自由，但是最终她不得不屈服于传统道德观。

本文以女权意识为主线，探讨作品本身的女性思想，分析主人公玛格丽特的女权意识的被压迫、觉醒和幻灭；从女权主义的角度分析了玛格丽特的悲惨命运， 特别是一个底层女性与放荡、奢靡、虚伪的父权社会抗争的悲剧。

关键词：《茶花女》；女权意识；压迫；觉醒；幻灭

Contents

1. Introduction 1
2. Demonstration 2
   1. A brief introduction to feminism 2
   2. Feminist consciousness reflected in The Lady of the Camellias 3
      1. The suppression of feminist consciousness 3
         1. Marguerite’s dependence on males 4
         2. Marguerite’s numbness to love 4
      2. The awakening of feminist consciousness 5
         1. Challenging traditional concepts 5
         2. Pursuing true love 7
      3. The disillusion of feminist consciousness 8
3. Conclusion 9

Works Cited 11

Bibliography 12

An Analysis of Feminism in The Lady of the Camellias

Introduction

Alexandre Dumas Fils(1824-1895) was a famous male novelist who was born in Paris, France. He was the illegitimate son of Alexandre Dumas and a seamstress, Marie Catherine Labay. When Dumas’ father became famous, he wandered into the upper class and abandoned him and his mother. Dumas was first supported by his mother and received a good family education. Then, when Dumas was seven years old, his father obtained custody of him from Labay through a lawsuit. Although his father paid for Labay’s living expenses, he never admitted that Labay was his wife. Unlike his father, who specializes in historical plays, Dumas specializes in modern novels. In 1842, Dumas met Marie Duplessis, the prototype of Marguerite in The Lady of the Camellias, and fell in love with her at first sight. But he expressed anger at Marie’s refusal to quit her career as a high-class prostitute and wrote a letter of diffidation. In 1847, Marie Duplessis died of illness in Paris. Dumas was so sad that he wrote this story into the novel The Lady of the Camellias, which made him famous at one stroke.

This novel tells a story of Marguerite, who was once a poor country girl, came to

Paris and began her prostitute career. Due to her beauty, the princes of Paris competed with each other for her. She became the “social star” of the moment. Marguerite had never been seen with other flowers but camellias, so she was known as “the Lady of the Camellias”. But her way of life left her physically injured, which led to a very serious lung disease. On an occasion, she met Armand Duval, a young man who loved her very much. Marguerite was moved by Armand’s love and fell in love with him. She was determined to give up her past life for Armand’s sake. She sold her household goods to pay off her debts, hoping to lead a plain and happy life with Armand. Unexpectedly, the visit of Armand’s father undermined their plan. Armand’s father thought that Armand’s stay with Marguerite could affect the marriage of his daughter, Armand’s sister. For Armand’s future, Marguerite left him and returned to

her former life, and became a lover of a man whom she was most disgusted with. Armand didn’t understand Marguerite’s change, humiliated her at a banquet, and left the country sadly. Later, Armand came to know the truth and went back to find Marguerite. But at that time Marguerite was dying of lung disease. She passed away sadly and desolately in the torment of illness, and only left a diary for Armand.