ABSTRACT：A Dream of Red Mansions and Pride and Prejudice are realistic novels which reflect the life of a bureaucratic family and a middle class family, focusing on the perspective of feminism. The author of the paper decides to do a comparative analysis. Firstly we will briefly introduce Jane Austen’s and Cao Xueqin’s writing standpoint and background from the angle of women, and then illustrate the embodiment of feminism. The author of the paper will analyze some of the main characters. In the end, we will select several representative marriages respectively and compare them in the two works, and then find out the similarities and differences of feminism in the two works as well as their relative reasons. The thesis adopts feminist criticism to analyze the process of women’s pursuits of love with the initiative in the patriarchal society and the female consciousness awakening. Then it uses comparative studies to compare the similarities and differences of feminism in the two works. It reveals such a truth that the differences of feminism result from social backgrounds and the authors’ mindsets. Cao Xueqin lived in such an era that men still dominated in the patriarchal system. In accordance with patriarchal proprieties, women were asked to comply with the “three obediences and four virtues”. The novel reflected women's spiritual level, showing their self-awareness and rebellious spirit. Cao Xueqin was influenced deeply by patriarchy. He realized that new women couldn’t survive in the secular society. Jan Austin lived in the period of the turbulence of the bourgeois revolution. The capitalist ideas flourished. She satirized social customs and affirmed women's wisdom and identity recognition of that time. She encouraged women to purse independence, love and a rebellious spirit. The era was considered as the revolutionary period of awakening of women's consciousness.

Keywords: A Dream of Red Mansions; Pride and Prejudice; feminism; Feminine consciousness

摘  要：《红楼梦》和《傲慢与偏见》分别是反映贾府和中产阶级家庭、班纳特家族的现实主义小说，它们都侧重于女性主义的视角。本文拟做一个比较分析。首先将简要介绍简奥斯丁和曹雪芹在女性视角下的写作立场和创作背景，然后阐述女性主义在两部作品中的体现。本文将分析一些主要人物。最后，分别选取几个具有代表性的婚姻进行比较，找出两部作品中女性主义的异同以及相关原因。本论文采用女性主义批评，分析父权社会中女性主动追求爱情的过程以及女性意识的觉醒。然后运用比较研究的方法对两部作品中女性主义的异同进行比较。它揭示了这样一个事实：女性主义差异主要在于社会背景和作者的思维模式。曹雪芹生活在“康乾盛世”时代。但在封建制度中，男性仍然占据主导位置。 封建礼法下要求女性遵从三从四德。小说反映了女性的精神层面，展现了中国封建社会女性的自我意识和反抗精神。但曹雪芹也深刻地认识到新女性无法在世俗社会中存活下来。简·奥斯丁生活在资产阶级的动荡时期,资本主义思想繁荣。她讽刺社会风俗，肯定了当时女性的智慧和身份。她鼓励妇女们追求独立、爱情和反抗精神。这一时期被认为是女性意识觉醒的的时期。

关键词：《红楼梦》；《傲慢与偏见》；女性主义；女性意识

Table of Contents

1 Introduction 1

1.1 An Introduction to Cao Xueqin and A Dream of Red Mansions 1

1.2 An Introduction to Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice 1

1.3 An Introduction to Feminism 2

2 Literature Review 2

3 A Comparative Analysis of Feminism Consciousness 3

3.1 Similarities in Feminist Consciousness 3

3.1.1 Contrasting Images of Women’s Bravery and Cowardice 3

3.1.2 Dominance of Well-matched Marriage Views 5

3.1.3 Compliant and Resistant Behaviors under Sexual Discrimination of a Patriarchal Society 6