摘 要

《简爱》是英国著名小说家夏洛蒂·勃朗特的作品，是一部经典的作品，学者们已经对其进行了大量的研究。本文试图从社会生态的角度，从社会背景、生活选择和婚姻三个方面对两个主要女性人物的性格和结局进行比较。通过简爱与里德太太的比较，我们可以发现，人类和社会生态之间存在着相互作用，因此不同的个体可以在相似的社会生态环境中产生不同的生命结局。

关键词：社会生态，简爱,里德太太，个性

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

• 1. A Brief Introduction to Jane Eyre 1
  2. The Previous Studies of Jane Eyre 1
     1. Studies of Jane Eyre Abroad 1
     2. Studies of Jane Eyre in China 2

Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework 3

• 1. A Brief Introduction to Social Ecology 3
  2. The Origin of Social Ecology Theory 4
  3. An Overview of Social Ecology 5

Chapter 3 Comparative Analysis of Jane Eyre and Mrs. Reed from Social Ecology 5

• 1. Roots of Their Personality Differences 5
     1. HistoricaBackground 5
     2. Family Background 6
     3. Social Background 8
     4. A Summary of Their Personalities 9
  2. Endings of Their Fates 10
     1. Similarities 11
     2. Differences 12

Chapter 4 Conclusion 13

Work Cited 14

Bibliography 15

An Analysis of Female Characters in Jane Eyre from the Perspective of Social Ecology

Chapter 1 Introduction

• 1. A Brief Introduction to Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is a novel created by English writer Charlotte Bronte. It was first published in London, in 1847. The Penguin editors describe it as an "influential feminist text" because of its in-depth exploration of a strong female character's feeling. It is a novel often considered ahead of its time due to its portrayal of the development of a thinking and passionate young woman who is individualistic, desiring for a full and highly moral life.

At all times and in all countries, a lot of scholars have analyzed Jane Eyre from various aspects. Most believe that it is a feminist novel, while many scholars believe that it is a religious novel. Of course, because Jane Eyre is very classical, they also like to analyze its structure, plot and symbolism.

With the change of times, some changes have taken place in people's lives. The way we look at things will change with the change of the times. By comparing the similarities and differences between Jane Eyre and Mrs. Reed—who is Jane Eyre’s aunt, we can see the influence of the changing society on people. At present, many domestic and foreign researchers have carried out a deep analysis of Jane Eyre from different angles, but there is little research on Jane Eyre in social ecology that has also been used in many fields, such as sports, economy, environment, literature and so on.

• 1. The Previous Studies of Jane Eyre
     1. Studies of Jane Eyre Abroad

Jane Eyre was first published in London in October 1847. Although at that time the female writers were discriminated, but the novel Jane Eyre, was sought after by most people, they are also happy

to study the subject. Because before the author concealed her identity, it aroused the readers’ curiosity. Most people think that it is a romantic novel, but some people think that this is the existence of realism. Until the end of 1849, Charlotte Bronte announced her identity in the world, but people do not go back to the passion of Jane Eyre, and they want to study it further. ane Eyre is the first female image with the rebellious spirit, which is unprecedented in the United Kingdom. So people understood it as a banner of calling for feminism. Sandra Gilbert and Suan Gubar further discussed the feminism via mutual relationship between Jane Eyre and Bertha's irrational behavior in the story “The Mad Woman in the Attic". They argued that the crazy Bertha is the

other side of Jane Eyre's oppression in the male centered Society. Then, Elaine Showalter demonstrates this point of view with psychoanalysis.

But in 1966, in the "The Accents Persuasion: Charlotte Bronte's Novels", Robert Martin believes that Jane Eyre is a religious novel. However, in 1970, in the book of "The English From Dickens to Lawrence", Raymond Willams said Jane Eyre was a realistic work to challenge the existing social system. However, the Dominica writer Jean Rhys examined Jane Eyre from the perspective of postcolonial feminism. Virginla Woolf believes that Jane Eyre is a semi-autobiographical novel to reveal the character of the heart, unrelated to social problems. After that, critics have studied the structure, plot and symbolism of the novel.

• • 1. Studies of Jane Eyre in China

Since 1917, China readers knew the Bront sisters’ novel from “Women's Magazine ". Jane Eyre is accepted by the public, then the movie version, the version of the TV series, the opera version, etc appeared. Of course, it also inspired the curiosity of Chinese critics, it is discussed in many ways. Wu Jing (1995), Xia Yuqin (2006) Wang Huiying (2010), Tan Mengge (2011) and so on have analyzed their characters. Wang Wenhui (2008) [1] interpreted it from the perspective of ecofeminism, and expressed the development of women's self-consciousness to build a harmonious gender equality and the survival of the ideal world; Guan Shanyue [2], in "From the Feminist Visual Analysis of Jane Eyre's Growth ", described that Jane Eyre is a breakthrough in the socialist shackles of woman's declaration. Through the detailed analysis of the novel in detail, language, psychological description, Lu Yuling(1996), Zhao Haihong(2004), Yue Yue(2009) argued that Jane Eyre's inferiority complex is the obedience and compromise to the patriarchal society, which is the failure of Jane Eyre. Hong Zhu (1979): "Jane Eyre--The Strongest Protest of the Petty Bourgeoisie", Jane Eyre was incorporated into the ranks of the petty bourgeoisie. Yang Guiqin [3] expounded in "Jane Eyre from the Visual Interpretation of Literary Ethics": At that time,

the contradiction between the individual identity of the British society and the ethical appeal was concerned with the possibility of the individual's self-realization in the society. Jia Wensheng (2006) compared Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights from the perspective of colonial. Some studies also discussed the translation of novels, the structure of the novel and the artistic style; Another people from the religious point of view to analyze Jane Eyre.