A Comparative Study Of Tess And Third Sister Yu’s Tragedies From The Perspective Of Marxist Feminism

Thomas Hardy and Cao Xueqin are respectively the leading figures in English and Chinese literature, their masterpieces Tess of D’Urbervilles and Dream of the Red Chamber both make great contributions to the world literature. These two famous works vividly depict various causes of women’s similar tragedies in different social backgrounds. In this dissertation, the images of Tess and Third Sister Yu are compared and analyzed particularly from the perspective of Marxist Feminism, trying to explore the causes for women’s similar tragedies in different nationalities and cultures, in order to attract attention to women’s destiny in the old world and seek enlightenment for women in the new world.There are five chapters in total. Introduction in Chapter One of this dissertation begins with the respectively background studies on Thomas Hardy and Cao Xueqin, their marvelous novels Tess of D’Urbervilles and Dream of the Red Chamber, as well as the literature reviews at home and abroad, and the thesis statement. Chapter Two introduces the theoretical foundation Marxist Feminism and Engels’ related ideas. Marxist Feminism states that women’s economy and class status decide the oppression on them in the patriarchal society.Engels also argued that women, as the oppressed gender, was not born naturally but constructed in the patriarchal society. Chapter Three discusses the root cause for Tess and Third Sister Yu’ tragedies: poor economic situation and inferior status of class. Chapter Four focuses on another cause for Tess and Third Sister Yu’ tragedies: their subordinate positions in the patriarchal society, which can be reflected by male-dominated values, hypocritical morality and injustice laws. In addition, their insubordinate and unique personalities also contribute to their tragedies, including Tess’ independence and resistance, Third Sister Yu’s sagacity and rebellion. In Chapter Five, the analysis of this dissertation finally leads to the conclusion. To ensure women’s equal rights in the society, women should first gain their economic independence. Then the social values, morality and law should be all fair and reasonable for everyone in society. In addition, women themselves should also have a clear mind and correct values towards their own happiness.