The Construction Of Jane Austen's View Of Ideal Love And Marriage In Mansfield Park

As one of the most important female novelists in the 19 th century,Jane Austen(1775-1817)had fulfilled 6 works from 1811 to 1816 including Sense and Sensibility(1811),Pride and Prejudice(1813),Mansfield Park(1814),and Emma(1816).In 1818,her other two novels,Northanger Abbey and Persuasion,were published posthumously.Among all her works,Mansfield Park is regarded as the most critical one,in which the three heroines' view of love and marriage reflects Jane Austen's view of ideal love and marriage.By presenting the caution,perseverance,courage and self-dignity of Fanny Price,Austen reveals the feminist characteristics in the heroine.In fact,the view of Fanny's love and marriage just reflects what Austen cherishes for.However,what makes contrast with the view of Fanny is that of Mary Crawford and Maria Bertram who tends to be shallow,vain,utilitarian and money-worshiped.By means of attacking these values and attitudes,Austen has vividly exposed the moral tendency and values of hypocrisy and materialism popular among the English upper class in the 19 th century.The construction of view of ideal love and marriage is always the basic and main theme of Jane Austen's novels.Under the pen of Austen,the love and marriage of the heroines are not only based on true love and mutual respect,but also on proper economical foundation.After experiencing a series of misunderstandings and frustrations which occur to delay but never to prevent their union,the heroines can always meet the right man in their mind and win their happiness.Therefore,under the guidance of Simone de Beauvoir's Theory of Feminism and Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments,this paper has respectively made a full and detailed analysis of the view of love and marriage accepted by the 19 th British society and the one advocated by Jane Austen,the purpose of which is to explore the view of love and marriage reflected in Mansfield Park,to illustrate the moral tendency and values of the novelist,and to construct Austen's view of ideal love and marriage.In conclusion,Austen's view of ideal love and marriage is based on true love,mutualrespect and proper economical foundation,which combines the feministic features and moral sentiments.In Austen's mind,it is immoral and undesirable to base one's love and marriage on mainly fulfilling parents' expectation,totally caring about material comforts and passion-seeking,which is doomed to be a tragedy.