Analysis Of Governess Characters In The Victorian Period From The Perspective Of Feminist Criticism

Vanity Fair, Jane Eyre and Agnes Grey are in the category of Victorian governessnovels and have been studied by many critics. Few people, however, have analyzedthe governess characters from the perspective of feminist criticism. The author of thisthesis hopes to analyze the governesses’ psychology and viewpoints reflected in theseworks.The special occupation has an important function in strengthening thedevelopment of governess characters and their destiny. The three characters are all inthe surroundings of patriarchal society with the same occupation and have manycommon characteristics. But due to their respective living conditions and characters,there are also great differences among them. Different social and family backgroundshave greatly influenced their different fates.Because of their status incongruity, governesses usually take on two psyches. Onone hand, economic position make them feel inferior; on the other, education andgood qualities give them superiority. They are either loaded with self-humiliation orpresent themselves to the world with an over-supply of pride. This kind of ambiguouspsyche is a malformed product of patriarchal society. The inferiority they feel is theresult of subtle influence on them by the patriarchal regulation and their rebellion ofpresent life is an expression of feminism revolt. Their respective life experiencesprovide them with a number of good qualities that traditional women lack.They represent three types of rebellious women. Governesses suffer oppressionsnot only from the male society but also the female one which is deeply rooted in theformer. To governess characters, living environment is hostile and the only way out isself-protection through confrontation. They have to take continuous fight with strongrebellious personality. However, because they are “forced” to take up the occupation to some extent, once they have a chance to get rich or come into a higher class, it isvery likely that they will return to the traditional family mode consciously orunconsciously. With better economic condition and higher social position, there is noneed for them to struggle and their hatred may fade gradually.In this thesis, the author will try to analyze the frustration, struggle andambiguous feelings of the governess characters. They will mainly be analyzed fromthree aspects: career viewpoints, attitudes towards life and attitudes towards love andmarriage. Career viewpoints are the foundation of economic independence andguarantee of gender equality. Attitudes towards life are a kind of respect, which canshow self-consciousness and self-dependence in thoughts. Pursuit of love andmarriage is an important part for women. In spite of their limitations, the threecharacters are still a brilliant beacon in the process towards women’s freedom.