Abstract

In the eighteenth Century, Cao Xueqin wrote A Dream of Red Mansions and Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre, which is the two immortal works in literature history. Since the advent of these two works, they had attracted a large number of readers to show great concern about them. The two masterpieces have played a far-reaching impact on literature. And we are moved by the female characters of Jane Eyre and Lin Daiyu in the two novels. Their origins were similar and both their parents passed away respectively, they also had similar places in their lifestyles. However, their attitudes towards life varied greatly. Consequently, their fates were greatly different too. Lin Daiyu and Jane Eyre have been described as the rebellious female images in the Chinese and Western literature. This paper made an analysis into their personal characters and their concepts of love. In the novels, their female self-consciousness are awakening and their fates of the struggle against injustice were displayed which won the praise from people. Although their love endings are widely varied but still have a positive enlightenment on modern philosophy of life.

Key words: Attitude toward Life; Love; Self-Respect; Rebellious Spirit

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction.1

1.1 Jane Eyre and Its Author.1

1.2 A Dream of Red Mansions and Its Author1

2 Factors Leading to Their Different Love Formations.2

2.1 Origins and Life Experiences3

2.2 Social Systems.3

2.3 Characters4

2.4Attitudes toward Friendships5 

3 A Comparative Study on the Concepts of Love in Jane Eyre and Lin Daiyu.6

3.1 Jane Eyre and Rochester.6 

3.2 Jane Eyre and St.John .8

3.3 Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu9

3.4 The Similarities between Jane Eyre and Lin Daiyu in the Concepts of Love.10

4 Conclusion11

References13