Feminism in Northanger Abbey and Persuasion by Jane Austen

Feminism in Northanger Abbey From my point of view, Jane Austen should be seen as a ‘feminist’ writer. As she wrote in one of her novel Persuasion, she considers that ‘Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything’ (Anne Elliot, in Jane Austen’s Persuasion). Such feminist ideas are expressed in many of her literary works. In her another novel Northanger Abbey, there are various issues discussed, which include not only marriage, social criticism and Gothic, but also feminism as well. The essay is to discuss Jane Austen and her feminist thoughts by analyzing Northanger Abbey. The analysis will cover three aspects. First of all, in her book, Jane Austen expresses the view that both genders possess equal creative and intellectual qualities, and thus women are born to be equal to men. Second, she expresses her sk epticism towards the degree of rationality and justice of the common social norms about female behavior. The third aspect is that Austen also insists that women should act for themselves in a rational way rather than merely trying to impress or to please the other sex. First, though Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is not completely categorized as a feminist novel, by portraying the protagonist Catherine in the way Jane Austen does, she expresses her opinion that women have been individuals withShow MoreRelatedEssay about Feminism in Jane Austen1034 Words   |  5 Pages Feminism in Jane Austen quot;I often wonder how you can find time for what you do, in addition to the care of the house; and how good Mrs. West could have written such books and collected so many hard works, with all her family cares, is still more a matter of astonishment! Composition seems to me impossible with a head full of joints of mutton and doses of rhubarb.quot; -- Jane Austen, letter of September 8 1816 to Cassandra quot;I will only add in justice to men, that though to the largerRead MoreJane Austen and Her Feminism1158 Words   |  5 PagesJane Austen and Her Feminism ---analyzing of feminism revealed in Pride and Prejudice Introduction It is universally acknowledged that Jane Austen was a major woman novelist in English; but it is also a truth that almost as universally ignored that Jane Austen was a feminist. By intensively reading her six novels (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion) and studying feminism, I have found some significant and fresh thingsRead MoreThe Childhood And Family Life And Persuasion Of Jane Austen1840 Words   |  8 PagesPersuasion Jane Austen is a famous 19th century British novelist whose beloved work has continued to live on for hundreds of years. Jane grew up in a rural middle class family which consisted of eight siblings. Out of them, she was especially close to her sister, Cassandra. Jane had an intimate, nurturing home life where literature was a common interest. Her parents provided education for all the children, although Jane and Cassandra had a less extensive one than their brothers. The gender roles