As the female protagonist in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth is a combination of great qualities in Austin’s mind. From the novel, she is intelligent and brave, with great vision and strong self-esteem. Furthermore, as a woman in that age, it is valuable for Elizabeth to think independently about marriage and regard real affection as the priority in the marriage. Consequently, Elizabeth, as well as Pride and Prejudice, is regarded by feminist critics as the pioneer in their era of fighting for women’s independent status and marriage.

1.2 Charlotte Bronte and her Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte, sister of Anne Bronte and Emily Bronte, is a female English novelist and poet. Bronte spent some time working as a teacher and a governess, and would later use these experiences in her works. Under the pen name Currer Bell, she published four novels including Jane Eyre.

Jane Eyre, published in 1847, presents an unconventional woman to be admired for her ability to overcome adversity. As a Bildungsroman of woman, this novel describes eponymous heroine’s growth. As an orphan, Jane Eyre is raised by her uncle at Gateshead Hall, where she is abused physically and mentally by her aunt and cousin. Then she is sent to Lowood School to be educated, and there she gains friends and models but suffers from starvation and oppression. Six years later she becomes a governess in Thornfield Hall and falls in love with her employer, Edward Rochester. They are attracted by each other and decide to get married. However, in the weeding, Rochester’s secret about his wife, a mad woman who is imprisoned in the attic is revealed and Jane Eyre escapes from the wedding. After a series of suffering, Jane Eyre is sheltered by the Rivers family, during which she gains a large heritage and her earnest but cold clergyman cousin, St. John Rivers, proposes to her. However, Jane Eyre refuses him and gets married with her beloved Rochester, who is blind and lame because of the fire caused by his ex-wife.

Jane Eyre, the title protagonist, is a passionate woman who values freedom and independence. As a plain-looking woman from humble beginning, Jane Eyre does not bow to life but fights for happiness with her strong inner power of personality. As a woman fighter, female awareness in Jane Eyre is prominent. Her strong beliefs of gender equality and independence prompt her to escape from the wedding and her conviction to affection drives her to return to Rochester. Both at home and abroad, a great number of readers and critics focus on female awareness in Jane Eyre and try to analyze it.

1.3 The Purpose of the Essay

Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre are often focused in the perspective of Female awareness. Although both novels depict female protagonists who struggle for independence and human rights in patriarchal society, there are some differences of female awareness between two novels.

This essay tries to illustrate the transformation of female awareness between two novels and analyze two authors’ writing intentions and female awareness. This essay maintains that compared Jane Eyre with Pride and Prejudice, female awareness in Jane Eyre is more revolutionary. However, radical female awareness in Jane Eyre is not perfect. Both of novels are primary attempts of feminist literature and female awareness is still in the illuminative stage.  

This essay maintains that both of the novels draw two different pictures of female fighting for independence and by analyzing the female awareness in two novels we can have a glimpse of the awakening of feminist consciousness and the history of early female awareness development. Also, modern feminists can acquire valuable experience from two masterpieces.

1.4 Literature Review

After publication, many literary critics pay attention to the female awareness in Pride and Prejudice.

Some critics pay attention to the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice-Elizabeth’s behavior. Johnson , Claudia L thinks that based on the standard of lady at that time, Elizabeth’s bold behavior is “appalling” “close to impolite” and even “lack of decency”, but we always neglect or underestimate the power of her behaviors in the perspective of today (Johnson, 126). When Jane gets ill in Bingley’s house, Elizabeth walks three miles on a dusty road and appears in the living room of upper-class with mess dress. This unladylike behavior actually is the expression of Female awareness. According to British Feminist Wollstonecraft, women’s weakness leads to men’s superiority in physical. So, strengthening physique is as important as development of wisdom. Elizabeth accords with Wollstonecraft’s view of Female.