An Archetypal Criticism On Cinderella Complex: A Case Study Of Elizabeth And Bai Liusu

The Archetypal criticism is a very important genre in the twentieth century and its emergence and development are inseparable from British anthropologist Fraser, the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and the Canadian cultural critic Frye. Fraser explored the significance embodied in the archetype of the myth and ritual in the primitive tribes around the world in detail. Jung applied the "collective unconsciousness" theory to the archetype study, and based on the Fraser's and Jung's theory Frye strengthened the archetypal criticism as a theory to the status of literary criticism. At the same time, Frye concentrated his effort on the original meaning of a number of archetypes recurring in different literature and the role of their experience in formulating a common literature.Jane Austen is the one who has a unique reputation as a master of the English novel, but Eileen Chang is a very important writer in the history of modern Chinese literature. Although they belong to different eras and different countries, they are well-known women writers. The characters in their works, without exception, are female and the theme of their novels is mainly about women's love and marriage.Using the main features of "Cinderella" to analyze the background as well as the life experience of both writers, I find Austen and Chang are "Cinderella"-type characters. On the basis of the theory of archetypal criticism and studying the novels of Pride and Prejudice and Love in a Fallen City, I realize that the description of love and marriage about Elizabeth and Bai Liusu both apply "Cinderella" story archetype. Austin and Chang borrowed the theme, character and plot structure of "Cinderella" to illustrate the marriage story of Elizabeth and Bai Liusu, from which we can see that Elizabeth and Bai Liusu both have a "Cinderella Complex". However, Elizabeth and Bai liusu's "Cinderella Complex" is not only a simple imitation and inheritance of the archetype of "Cinderella" but rich in historical content and the characteristics of the times. Superficially, Elizabeth and Bai Liusu did not challenge the male-dominated society, but their female consciousness was obvious in their sub-consciousness. Therefore, the "Cinderella Complex" of both heroines is a breakthrough and development of "Cinderella" archetype. These are the similarities in their charactersAlthough the "Cinderella Complex" reflects their pursuit of marriage, there are also differences in their "Cinderella Complex". Elizabeth pursued the sincere feeling between men and women and regarded it as the cornerstone of an ideal marriage. She puts the emphasis on the positive, optimistic and equal marriage, so Elizabeth's "Cinderella Complex" is a rewriting towards the "Cinderella" archetype. Bai Liusu shows her distrust of romantic love as well as that of the male expectations for a woman image. In Chang's novel, Bai Liusu is a rebellion compared to the common expectations of the lives of women. In her opinion, love and marriage are not the same. Her background leads her to reject the idea that marriage is based on the true love. Therefore, "Cinderella Complex" in Bai Liusu is a subversion of the "Cinderella" archetype.