摘 要

《法国中尉的女人》是一部由约翰·福尔斯创作的后现代历史小说。 该小说探索了作为绅士、业余博学家的查尔斯和作为独立女性、前家庭女教师莎拉之间的紧张关系。 本文将通过分析作品中莎拉的的自身特点、她和周围人物的关系以及她如何对抗维多利亚传统社会这三个方面重点研究莎拉的女性意识。

关键词：维多利亚社会;《法国中尉的女人》; 女性意识

Contents

1. Introduction.............................................................................................................. 1
2. Demonstration.......................................................................................................... 2

2.1 The Background of Feminist Era and the Definition of Female Consciousness..... 2

2.2 The Female Consciousness of the Character Sarah................................................. 5

2.2.1 Sarah’s Personality Characteristics...................................................................... 5

2.2.2 Sarah’s Relationship with people around her....................................................... 6

2.2.3 Sarah’s Revolt against the Victorian Social Traditions........................................ 8

3 Conclusion................................................................................................................ 10

Works Cited................................................................................................................. 12

Bibliography................................................................................................................ 13

On the Female Consciousness of the Character Sarah in John Fowles’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman

1. Introduction

John Fowles (March 31, 1926 -- November 5, 2005) was an English novelist of international stature, critically positioned between modernism and postmodernism. Fowles was born in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, England. Robert Fowles came from a family of middle-class merchants of London. Robert's father Reginald was a partner of the firm Allen amp; Wright, a tobacco importer. Robert's mother died when he was 6 years old. At age 26, after receiving legal training, Robert enlisted in the Honourable Artillery Company and spent three years in the trenches of Flanders during World War I. After leaving Oxford University, Fowles taught English at a school on the Greek island of Spetses, a sojourn that inspired The Magus, an instant best-seller that was directly in tune with 1960s "hippie" anarchism and experimental philosophy. This was followed by The French Lieutenant's Woman , a Victorian-era romance with a postmodern twist that was set in Lyme Regis, Dorset, where Fowles lived for much of his life. Later fictional works include The Ebony Tower, Daniel Martin, Mantissa, and A Maggot.

The French Lieutenant's Woman is a postmodern historical fiction novel by John Fowles. It was his third published novel, after The Collector and The Magus. The novel explores the fraught relationship between gentleman and an amateur naturalist, Charles Smithson, and the former governess and an independent woman, Sarah Woodruff. The novel builds on Fowles' authority in Victorian literature, both following and critiquing many of the conventions of novels during that period. The overseas study of this novel can be classified into the following aspects: feminism theory, postmodernism, and the open-ended. Currently, in China, the study of this novel mainly focuses on Sarah’s female consciousness, the perspective of postmodern, and existential sense.

This thesis will limit the discussion to Sarah’s female consciousness, and it is divided into three parts. The first part probes into the background of feminist era and the definition of female consciousness. The second part of this thesis focuses on the female consciousness of the character Sarah. The third part gives conclusion.

2. Demonstration

2.1 The Background of Feminist Era and the Definition of Female Consciousness

Victorian era was an era full of contradictions. Science and technology, industrial and agricultural production, and ideology and culture were improved during that period. The development of modern science had already begun, Darwin’s theory of evolution caused widespread public concern, and at the same time financial and health industry also made unprecedented achievements. Large quantities of world-class, remarkable writers and artists appeared in this time.The characteristics of ideologies and moral ideals of this time were conservative. And this time was “highly existentialist in many of its personal dilemmas.”(John Fowles, 17) For women, this time was also full of prejudice and women were the oppressed group.

In this time, men dominated the landscape in all aspects of society due to the traditional concept that men could do better than women. To the contrary, the traditional characteristics of women were pretty, weak and incapable. These characteristics enabled men to have more priority over women for a long time, which was a kind of the ornament of the sacred patriarchal society. Moreover, many noble women in that time were just like vases. They looked beautiful and maybe skillful but were not wise enough to express themselves and try to earn their reputation. They preached lofty sentiments, but could not understand and sympathize with other people, and they also lacked tenderness and good faith. Their ultimate goal was nothing more than getting married with a rich men to improve their property and status as men preferred beautiful women.