An Analysis of Jane Austen’s Feminist Thoughts

Pride and Prejudice tells the story of marriage and daily life between Victorian men and women. The narrative style of the work is easy, but it reveals a concept that is of far-reaching social significance: women should be independent and have their own ideas, instead of serving as male vassals. This article explores Jane Austen’s feminist thoughts from the angle of her portrayal of female characters with Elizabeth and her mother as examples, pointing out that Elizabeth is depicted to be an independent female. It also attempts to interpret the marriages of two couples in Pride and Prejudice from a feminist perspective, thus digging into Jane Austen’s feminist thoughts from this aspect. In addition, since Jane Austen lived in a patriarchal society and was born to a middle-class family, she was more or less influenced by the patriarchal social outlook. As a result, this article also discusses limitations in the feminist thoughts of the author as reflected in Pride and Prejudice.