An Analysis Of The Female Self-consciousness Reflected In Henry James' Early Works

Henry James is considered one of the three great realist masters of the late 19th century in America, the other two being William Dean Howells and Mark Twain. He is also generally considered a prominent and influential literary critic. This thesis will be based on his three works of the first period, namely Washington Square, Daisy Miller and The Portrait of a Lady. I will employ close-reading with the help of social-psychological theory to explore the female self-consciousness of three female figures. The three females are Catherine Sloper (from Washington Square), Daisy Miller (from Daisy Miller) and Isabel Archer (from The Portrait of a Lady). The three works, compared with those late works, possess more realistic meanings and social depth, which has much to do with the graceful but down-to-earth style. Therefore, they have obvious advantages in studying female images.The thesis falls into six parts, including an introduction part, four chapters and a conclusion part.IntroductionFirstly, Henry James'life experiences and his three creation periods will be introduced. Then a brief summary of the research on Henry James'works will be given and the theme of the thesis will be pointed out, that is, focus on the female self-consciousness in the analysis of the three heroines.Chapter One Female Self-consciousness and the Historical Background of the Three WorksBased on self-consciousness, the concept of the female self-consciousness will be defined. Because the study of the female self-consciousness cannot be separated from the specific society and class, a research will be made into the 19th century's western society and its polite society regarding women's social position; and before the concrete analysis of the three heroines, a brief comment on their respective self-consciousness will be made.Chapter Two Catherine Sloper: from an Innocent Maiden to a Lonely WomanAt the beginning, Catherine's self-consciousness is in a state of absence and withering. In the process of her struggle for love, her self-consciousness is gradually awakened. However, She has never established a complete and mature personality. Catherine's tragedy is not only a personal but also a social one. She represents millions of women whose self is suppressed by the male-dominated society.Chapter Three Daisy Miller: From Blooming to WitheringDaisy is a"new woman"in bloom, who possesses some typical features of"the new woman". Her strong self-consciousness is mainly shown in her relationships with the men and...