Perplexity, Quest And Breakout

Margaret Drabble (1939-) is a preeminent modern British novelist, critic and editor. Herfiction is well-accepted for reflecting the intellectual women of her own generation. Influencedby the feminist thoughts in1960s, Drabble·s works show great concern for women, especiallyintellectual women·s fate and circumstances in modern society. She never ceases to probe intowomen·s status quo and dilemmas, their formidable struggle for self-identity and self-fulfillment,their suppressed status and promising future, intending to find an ideal way of life forcontemporary women.By employing the feminist theory of Simone de Beauvoir·s and the methodology of textanalysis, this thesis focuses on Drabble·s masterpiece about the life and aspiration of intellectualwomen in contemporary Britain The Seven Sisters. Focusing on Candida Wilton, a docile wifeand sacrificing mother, Julia Jordan, a notorious but ambitious writer and Ellen Wilton, arespectable speech therapist, this thesis mainly probes into these three intellectual women,especially into their spiritual evolvement in self-pursuit. Candida searches for the balancebetween the selfμ and family by exiting from marriage and following her inner wishes. Juliapursues the middle ground between the selfμ and career which is keeping the sisterhoodbetween her and Candida. Ellen, who having transcended intellectual women·s one-trackself-pursuit, is pursuing the unremitting exploration of female identity, the way out of thepredestined life. They stand for the intellectual women who are exemplary in their pursuit ofself-value with their awakening self-consciousness. These courageous, independent intellectualwomen, who possess resilient spirit and determination to seek their new selves and social statusin the bondage of the male-oriented society, have undergone breakout of self-discovery andself-pursuit. Their quest for self-value and a better life shows the mental and emotional processof modern intellectual women·s struggle from the Otherμ to Subject. Furthermore, this thesisexplores the awakening feminist consciousness of intellectual women, which is that intellectualwoman who is setting the goal of achieving an integrated sense of identity, must live in harmonywith her nature and shoulder her responsibility for others.Through analyzing intellectual women·s most susceptive and intensive inner conflicts intheir pursuit of self-realization in The Seven Sisters, Drabble puts forward reasonable suggestionsand possible way out for these women in the exploration and realization of their self-value, thatis subsuming the natural being and the social being together. Drabble·s reflections on the fate ofintellectual women contribute greatly to contemporary British intellectual women both inrealizing their value and in seeking their own liberation.