The Fate Concerto Of Nature And Women

Elizabeth Gaskell is one of the most important women writers in early andmiddle Victorian Age. Victorian Age is a society which is full of contradictions: therapid progress of economy and industry brings the expansion of urbanization and thepollution of environment; feminist ideas sprout from the deep-rooted patriarchalsociety. The intuition of a writer and the life experience as a woman make Mrs.Gaskell express her concern about the fate of nature and woman in her worksunconsciously. Therefore, this thesis tries to analyze her two importantnovels---North and South and Cousin Phillis based on several important principles inecofeminism: logic of domination, patriarchal dualism, androcentrism and so on. Itmanages to get a conclusion that Mrs. Gaskell is a woman writer with ecofeministawareness.The thesis is composed of four chapters. Chapter One is the introductionwhich sketches briefly by the methodology, goal and motivation for the writing ofthis thesis, together with a literature review and a brief review of ecofeminism. Asecofeminism is a new criticism approach, its principles are so unfamiliar to mostpeople that it is very necessary to give a brief introduction. Chapter Two offers anillustration of Mrs. Gaskell's ecofeminism ideas with case studies in her two novelsbased upon the principles of ecofeminism. Withthe case studies of Gaskell's novels,the thesis is supposed to state her ecoferninist ideas from three aspects: the emphasison intercormection between nature and women, the accusation of oppression towomen and nature from patriarchy, the exploration of ideal, relationship amongnature, women and men: Gaskell's ideal world is a holistic and diverse world withfeminine principle and ecological principle. Chapter Three traces Gaskell's lifeexperiences and the Victorian background to explore the root of Mrs. Gaskell's ecofeminist awareness. Victorian social background and her family background hada great impact on Gaskell's thoughts, which can surely account for Gaskell's concernfor women and nature. Chapter Four is the Conclusion. The conclusion answers thequestions posed in the Introduction by summarizing the main points of the previouschapters. The final conclusion is: because of special life experience and social milieu,Mrs. Gaskell forms her ecofeminist awareness and then expresses it in her novels.Moreover, her ecofeminist awareness has realistic value and enlightenment tomodern word even though it is immature, deficient and limited.