Abstract

Downton Abbey was one of the successful British TV dramas in the last few years. It tells family Crawley and their servants’ daily life, and all six seasons run through the feminism. This thesis tries to analyze the youngest daughter---Sybil Crawley’s personality from the perspective of Feminism. Sybil is different from the traditional British women. On the one hand, she has a distinct personality. She has a pursuit of freedom, and she can stick to her choice; on the other hand, she advocates equality between men and women. She pursues the right of women in education, employment and political rights. She thinks women should be treated equally with men. She rebels against the mainstream values and fought for her own rights and status as a citizen.

  From the feminist perspective, combined with the background of Downton Abbey, it describes Sybil's resistance to women's status before marriage, her outstanding performance in the first World War, and her struggle against the shackles of the old age; Sybil gives up the family fortune, and comes to Ireland with her husband after marriage. This thesis analyzes her different performance before and after marriage so as to reveal that she is an imperfect feminist.

Key words: Downton Abbey; feminism; Sybil Crowley’s character; imperfect feminist

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-3

2.1. Feminism-3

2.2 Some researches about Downton Abbey-4

3. Sybil’s change before and after Marriage-5

3.1 The Feminist Sybil before Marriage-5

3.1.1 The Helpful and Friendly Noble-5

3.1.2 The Fashion Pioneer-6

3.1.3 The Convention Challenger-6

3.2 The Imperfect Sybil after Marriage-8

3.2.1 Changed by Traditional Family Values-8

3.2.2 Changed by the Paternalism -8

4. Discussion on Sybil’s Changes-9

4.1 The Influence of World War I before Marriage-9

4.2 The Influence of Reliance on Husband after Marriage   -10

5. Conclusion-11

References-11