A Study Of Elizabeth Gaskell's Ideal View On Female Education

Elizabeth Gaskell is a Victorian woman writer whose works are nuanced from social novels to idyllic stories. Re searches of Elizabeth Gaske ll have been launched since recent few decades. The rem ark on her as one o f the “minor novelists” with “slight talent” by Lord David Cecil in h is Early Victorian Novelists(1934) has been questioned and redefined as “a figure of growing importance in the field of Victorian literary studies”(Matus, 2007: 1). As a wom an novelist, Elizabeth Gaskell's depiction ranges from the conflicts between dominated and dominant classes to the normal life of women in the 19 th century. Among all her novels, the three ones, Mary Barton, Lizzie Leigh and Ruth, which involve the life of fallen wom en, are m ost representative and distinguished for their progressive and revolutionary them es. In them, Gaskell demonstrates the process of these women's fallenness as well as their redemption, which indirectly reflects the woman writer's attitude tow ards female education. As a special group of society, fa llen women have been demonstrated by Gaskell in three different novels, Mary Barton, Lizzie Leigh and Ruth, which mainly deal with their sufferings and redemption by means of education. In fact, Gaskell's proposal is the new type of women's education which should be advocated in her day. Thus, based on the previous studies of Ga skell and her works, under the guidance of ethical criticism of Nie Zhenzhao and feminism of Frances Power Cobbe, this thes is will examine Gaskell's attitude towards women's fallenness, and s crutinize the reason of her concentration upon it, and construct Gaske ll's ideal view on fe male education that is concretely reflected thr ough the variety of the deliverance of fallen women, which is definitely the dominant question this thesis attempts to explore.By studying thoroughly the three novels, the author of the thesis aims to discover the external and internal root of fallenness. By demonstrating the reason why wom en become fallen, how they are disdained, and saved, Elizabeth Gaskell uses an extreme way to express and emphasize the importance of practicing the new system of female education. She intends not only to help one particular fallen wom an, but to prevent these disastrous things from happening to all females. From her unique view, Gaskell introduces a revolutionary fe male system, which, although m ay not be affir med by all the people, helps the young wom en find a way to protect them selves. In conclusion, Elizabeth Gaskell's ideal vi ew on fe male education involves three aspects which are receiving form al education in university, developing their own judgment ability, and keeping in touc h with the outside world. Through the comparison and contrast of the redempti on of different falle n women whose fates vary from each other, this thesis assists further understanding and comprehension of what female education should be and how it can be efficacious. Therefore this present study is of great significance in establishing a better female education system as well as a harmonious society.