ABSTRACT

Jane Austen (1775-1817) is one of the greatest British novelists in the history of British literature, even in European literature. All her novels are all related to the same theme: love and marriage. Emma written by British novelist Jane Austen, 1816, stands at the head of her achievements, even that Jane Austen said about Emma: “a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” readers still think this novel is her best one. Jane Austen began writing when she was twenty years old, at that time, British literature was experiencing a period of transition. From the end of eighteenth century to the beginning of nineteenth century, British realistic tradition which opened up by the masters of realism, for example, Henry Fielding, was almost interrupted. What’s more, British novels were submerged in the sentimental tears of fake romanticism, true romanticism has not yet come. Living in this time, Jane Austen naturally took on the responsibility of transition, from the realism represented by reason to the romanticism represented by emotion. Jane Austen put much effort to describing the characters in the novel Emma. The female characters are the romantic product of the author’s imagination. The romantic effect finds expression fully in the characterization of the novel.This paper will focus on the romantic factors in the novel Emma, and will analyze how the romantic background, psychology background, natural background and social background of this novel to embody the theme of romantic. 

Keywords：Jane Austen; Emma; romanticism; factors

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One INTRODUCTION-1

1.1 The Introduction to the Author-1

1.2 The Introduction to the Novel-2

Chapter Two LITERATURE REVIEW-3

2.1 Overseas Research Status-3

2.2 Domestic Research Status-4

Chapter Three THE ROMANTIC FACTORS IN Emma-5

3.1 The Romantic Background-5

3.1.1 The Psychology Background-5

3.1.2 The Social Background-6

3.2 The Romantic Characterization-7

  3.2.1 The Contrast among the Male Characters-7

  3.2.3 The Contrast among the Female Characters-9

Chapter Four Conclusion-12

WORKS CITED-13