摘要:Jane Austens fundamental feminist concerns may be seen from her constant insistence on womens intellectual power. Her firm belief in womens intelligence leads her undoubtedly to revise the conventional female image in popular novels of her day.
takes, Jane Austen demonstrates that her judgment is basically sound and convincing.
Emmas good judgment is mainly reflected by her argument with Mr. Knightley, a sensible gentleman who has long been acting as Emmas teacher as well as her brother. He quarrels with Emma because the latter has induced Harriet Smith to refuse Robert Martins proposal.This quarrel over Harriets marriage indeed does not display Emmas ill-judgment, but Mr. Knightleys irrationality The arguments of both parties are more concerned with certain contemporary ideas about intellectual power, marriage and status than with Harriet Smith and Robert Martin themselves. In other words, they argue for their own sake, or from the point of view of different sexes respectively.
When Mr. Knightley complacently tells Emma that Robert Martin “means to marry” Harriet, he takes it for granted that Harriet is very willing to accept the proposal. Here the expression “means to marry her”shows so evidently the male superiority Mr. Knightley does not seem to notice that he has totally ignored Harriets own wish and reduced her only to a silent object even without the right of saying “No”.
Emma immediately finds it an old-fashioned stereotype of proposal, so she asks:“but is he sure that Harriet means to marry him? ”( Jane Austen,1994) which is theoretically and rationally a perfectly justifiable question. Emma tries to remind Mr. Knightley that any woman is entitled to make her own choice in marriage. However, Mr. Knightley regards Emmas reaction as merely a fashionable, feminine pretense.
Mr. Knightley praises Robert Martins good sense and talks about his own good intention.When he knows Harriet has refused Martins proposal,he is confused and angry.Now in Mr. Knightleys eyes “the fair lady”, Harriet, becomes “a greater simpleton”, “the foolish girl” and little better than a base-born idiot just because she rejects Martins proposal.
Emma, by contrast, judges more rationally: “it is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. A man always imagines a woman to be ready for anybody who asks her.”( Jane Austen,1994) Emma s remarks imply, on the one hand, that women are traditionally cultivated to be obedient,modest, selfless so that they are regarded merely as ornaments not only without the ability of self-assertion but also without the right of refusal. On the other hand, Emma alludes to the fact that men are so accustomed to womens deference that they cannot think otherwise.
Mr. Knightley cant retort Emmas argument and has to dwell on Harriets humble birth and slow mind. He exclaims:“A degradation to illegitimacy and ignorance,to be married to a respectable, intelligent gentleman farmer!”( Jane Austen,1994) His unjust contempt of Harriet due to her birth indicates distinctly his conservative thought that Harriet, as an illegitimate girl of unknown parentage, is not up to the role of a decent farmers wife. But Emma makes a brave defense of Harriet:
“As to the circumstances of her birth, though in a legal sense she may be called Nobody it will not hold in common sense. She is not to pay for the offence of others, by being held below the level of those with whom she is brought up.” ( Jane Austen,1994)
Emma shows her sound judgment in her objection to the general injustice of the laws and discriminative attitude of the society towards illegitimate children.Although most people are prejudiced agai
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