Women Inside And Outside Fortress Besieged-Women's Desires And Limitations In Pride And Prejudice And Fortress Besieged

Fortress Besieged written by Qian Zhongshu is well-known over the world. The famous sentence in it makes people think over its implied meanings: Marriage is like a fortress, those who are outside want to get in; those who are inside want to get out. Both marriage and profession are in the same situation.This thesis takes the women in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Fortress Besieged by Qian Zhongshu for careful observation. Based on the analysis of the background of the two novels, it explores in detail their common theme: The women have similar desires and limitations, under the influence of feminist thought, they are eager to be independent in society and economy. But the limitations from society, economy and tradition ,the reality at that time make them get into marriage as the fortress for security. Marriage for women, it is not only the fortress that they try to get in, but also the place where they want to stay forever. At that time, under Jane Austen's pen, we can see Elizabeth.Bennet, smart and charming; JaneBennet, mild and kind-hearted; Charlotte Lucas, practical and sensible; Lydia Bennet, foolish and flirtatious. Under Qian Zhongshu's pen, we can know Su Wenwan, beautiful and intelligent; Sun Roujia, clever and tricky; Miss Fan, who is eager to marry, stay in the remote university, etc. These women in the novels try their best to enter into the marriage when they are outside it. They use almost all their energy to choose men. It just proves the important sentence spoken by Mrs Bennet,"it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."In fact, Mrs Bennt is right, what we read in this sentence is its opposite---- a single woman must be in want of a man with a good fortune. At that time, women ever struggled for life and wanted to control their own fate, but ended in failure. The outlet for women was to enter the marriage as a fortress for security.In this world, men usually seem to live for themselves, their aim is to deal with the relationship between men and society. But for women, they seem to live for the purpose of looking for the suitable men, their goal is to conduct the relationship with the man .The reason is that women try to look for the suitable man, marry him, and enter into the fortress besieged. It is their way of living. This is the real portrait of traditional love and marriage----"Husbands are women's careers. Not having a husband is like being unemployed, so she has to hold tightly to her rice bowl."(Fortress Besieged)Of course, with the development of the society, the richness of material life, women and men gradually become equal. The view that marriage is the only fortress for living is old-fashioned. When they feel safe without the marriage as their fortress, more and more women really want to get out, because the outside world is more colorful and wider, getting out will give them vast space and freedom. But the most important reason is that the world outside is as safe as the one inside.Shall we give up the marriage as the fortress besieged after the material life is affluent and the society is more modern? We never think so; we would rather believe that women will make full use of this fortress besieged. They can not only stay in it at ease, but also get out to enjoy the wonderful world if they like.