從《名利場(chǎng)》中解讀女性主義的社會(huì)境地

ContentsChineseAbstract………3EnglishAbstract………41.Introduction…………51.1

OutlineofVanityFair……………51.2ResearchBackgroundofFeminism……………52.FeministReflectioninVanityFair………………62.1Thackeray’sThoughtofFeminism…………………72.2TheWorldofBecky……………72.3Amelia’sLifeinVanityFair………82.4TheDiscrepancyBetweenAmeliaandBecky……93.TheSocialSituationofFeminismfromVanityFair………………103.1TheGermofFeminismin19th-CenturyLiterature…………103.2InspirationandReferencetoModernFeminism………………104.Conclusion……………11References………………12從《名利場(chǎng)》中解讀女性主義的社會(huì)境地摘要中西方文學(xué)史上，女性主義一直深受專家學(xué)者的青睞。這些女性主義題材的文學(xué)作品或多或少反映了女性主義在不同時(shí)期歷史地位演變，探討這些文學(xué)作品對(duì)女性主義的社會(huì)境地的發(fā)展有更深層次的了解。

本文以《名利場(chǎng)》中女主人公蓓基·夏潑和愛米麗亞·賽特笠的人生歷程所反映的女性主義社會(huì)現(xiàn)象為切入點(diǎn)分析西方女性主義在十九世紀(jì)時(shí)期所處的社會(huì)境地。這一時(shí)期許多文學(xué)作品中所展現(xiàn)傳統(tǒng)婦女的形象無疑是可悲的并具有深刻寓意的,把這些具有女性主義意義的文學(xué)作品作為研究依據(jù)去感受不同時(shí)期社會(huì)對(duì)女性的定義。參考女性主義在萌芽時(shí)期的發(fā)展?fàn)顩r并結(jié)合如今中西方女性主義面臨的現(xiàn)狀，探討女性主義無論早期在男性中心的社會(huì)還是現(xiàn)代社會(huì)下所處的艱難境地。關(guān)鍵詞：女性主義；社會(huì)地位；獨(dú)立AnInterpretationoftheSocialSituationofFeminismfromVanityFairAbstractSince19thcentury,feminism’sstatushasexperiencedgreatchangesinthehistoryofChineseandwesternliterature.FeminismhasbeenfavoredbyexpertsandscholarsinthefeministthemeofLiteraryworksmoreorlessreflectthefeminismhistorystatusindifferentperiods,exploringtheliteratureonthedevelopmentofthesocialpositionoffeminismcanmakeushaveadeeperunderstandingoffeminism.BasedonthefeministsocialphenomenonreflectedinthelifecourseoftheheroinesofVanityFair,BeckySharpandAmeliaSedley,thispaperanalyzesthesocialsituationofwesternfeminisminthe19thcentury.Theimagesoftraditionalwomeninmanyliteraryworksofthisperiodareundoubtedlysadandhaveprofoundmeanings.Theseliteraryworkswithfeministsignificancearetakenastheresearchbasistofeelthesocialdefinitionofwomenindifferentperiods.ByreferringtothedevelopmentoffeminismintheembryonicperiodandcombiningwiththecurrentsituationofChineseandwesternfeminism,thispaperdiscussesthedifficultsituationoffeminismintheearlystageinthemale-centeredsocietyorthemodernsociety.Keywords:feminism;socialstatus;independence1.Introduction1.1OutlineofVanityFairInthe19thcentury,Europeanfeminismbegantosproutundertheoppressionanddiscriminationagainstwomeninthepatriarchalsociety.Withthegradualawakeningoftheirfemaleconsciousness,moreandmorewomenbegantofaceuptotheirrolesandpursuemorerights.Thackeray,asarealisticwriter,wasinspiredbyfeminismandsupportedtheindependenceandrightsoffeminism.VanityFairrevealedthestatusquooffeminismatthattimeandcomparesitwiththeimpactoffeminismontraditionalwomen.VanityFairwasThackeray’smasterpiece,whichwasalsoamasterpieceofrealism.Itmainlydescribedthattheheroineisdiscriminatedagainstinthesociety,sosheusedavarietyoftricksandevenseducedandfawnonthepowerfulandpowerfulfamilieswithherappearance,andclimbeduptheladderbyhookorbyhook.Thischaracterwasnotaloathsomevillain,butshewasnotakindandagreeableperson,whichwasavividproductofthatsociety.Theworksbitterlysatirizedallkindsofuglyphenomenain“vanityfair”ofvariousclassesandhonors,andmadethecharacters’characteristicsmoredistinctbyusingthedescriptionofcharacters’psychologyanddetails.Theplotcanmainlybedividedintotwolines.TheonecluedescribedthelifeofBeckywhoseparentsweredeadandfamilywaspoor.AftersheleftthePinkertonGirlBoardingschool,sheseducedtheelderbrotherofAmelia,approachingMissCrawleywithotherpurpose.AndshemarriedwithyoungandhandsomeRodenbutentwinedwithSteyneLordagain.Allofthesewereresultthatsteppedintothedebauchedvanity.AnothercluewaswrittenforAmelia,agirlofpurelawwhowasleftbehindinherfamilyandsufferedfrompovertyandaffection.ShewassimpleandkindwhichwasexactlydifferentfromBecky,butshealsowasblindlyinfatuatedwithplayboyOsborne.InthemarriageofDobbinsobravededication,agoodmanwithasenseofresponsibilitybutAmeliadidn’tknowhowtocherish,althoughfinallymarried,actuallyshelostthepassionoflove.Thesetwoclueswereformthemainlineofthearticleandrunthroughthewholepaper.BydescribingthecontrastbetweenthetwofatesofBeckyandAmelia,theauthorrevealedthedecadenceoftheVictoriansocietyandreflectedthestatusandroleofwomeninthepatriarchalsociety.InthisVanityFair,bothBeckyandAmeliahavebeendeeplyanalyzedbymanyscholarsfortheirliterarycoloranduniquemeaninggiventothembythesociety,sotherewereendlessdiscussionsaboutthem.ResearchBackgroundofFeminismSinceitappeared,feminism’sstatushasexperiencedgreatchangesinthehistoryofChineseandwesternliterature.Feminismhasbeenfavoredbyexpertsandscholarsinthefeministthemeofliteraryworksmoreorlessreflectthefeminismhistorystatusindifferentperiods,exploringtheliteratureonthedevelopmentofthesocialpositionoffeminismcanmakeushaveadeeperunderstandingoffeminism.Feminismwasthebeliefinsocial,economic,andpolitical

equality

ofthesexes.Butfeminismwasvirtuallyunknowntothepublicuntilthe20thcentury,andnotuntilthe1890sinFrance.Inotherwords,asanewsocialproduct,feminismwasnotclearlydefinedinallfieldsatthattime.Asaresult,manyscholarsandothersweremotivatedtodiscussit,butaftertheemergenceoffeminism,therewasnoclearofficialdefinition.AlthoughlargelyoriginatingintheWest,feminismwas

manifested

worldwideandwasrepresentedbyvariousinstitutionscommittedtoactivityonbehalfof

women’srights

andbenefits(Net1).Manystudiesshowthatfeminismhasbeenstudiedforalongtimeinthewestcountries.WhatisFeminism?writtenbyChrisBeasleyclearlyillustratedthevariousformsoffeminismwhichwereexistingindifferentwesternsocieties.Itreferredtothefactthatfeminismwasalmostunknowntothepublicuntilthe20thcentury,andwasonlyjustbecomingknowninFranceinthe1890s.Inotherwords,feminismwasnotclearlydefinedineveryfieldatthetimewhichwasanewsocialproduct.Therefore,manyscholarsandotherpeoplewerestimulatedtodiscussit,buttherewasnoexplicitofficialdefinitionofFeminismaftertheemergenceofFeminism.ItwasknowntoallthatFrancewasthebirthplaceoffeminism.OneofthefoundersoftheFrenchfeministmovement,thewriterBeauvoiradvocatedthefeminisminmanyofherworks.Herfeminismthoughtwasofgreatsignificanttoboththenandlatergeneration.InTheSecondSex,Beauvoirprofoundlyrevealedthatwomenstillstandalowsocialstatus.Infeudalsociety,womendependedonmenforalongtimeinmanysocialactivities,causingwomenactivelywantedtoprovewomen’screativityandtheirstatus.Beauvoirencouragedwomen’ssenseofindependenceandtoachievegenderequalitybyparticipating.Inshort,fromthewesternresearchonfeminism,thedevelopmentoffeminismhasbeenfraughtwithdifficultiesfromtheverybeginning.However,studyingthedevelopmentoffeminisminChinacouldfindthattheobstaclestothedevelopmentoffeminisminChina'shistoryaremuchthesameasthoseinthewest.InthepasthistoryofChina,althoughthereweremanyexcellentwomen,becauseChinahasbeeninamale-dominatedsocialpatternforalongtime,womenhavebeenregardedasmenorfamilyaccessories,withoutsocialstatus.ThefirstintroductionoffeminismwasdiscoveredinthewesternfeministthoughtintheNewCultureMovementPeriod,promotedtoourcountrylargeareaandledtotheawakeningoffemaleconsciousnessofXieBingxin,ZhangAiling,withfeministconsciousnessChenHengzheorderofmeritafeministwriter,subsequentlybecauseourcountrywasinturmoil,feminismhasstagnatedinthebuddingstageofdevelopment.AfterthefoundingofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,accordingtotheperspectiveofthelong-termcontentofChina’sgendercultureandtheformulationoflawsandpolicies,menandwomenhaveachievedpoliticalandeconomicequalityonthesurface,butwomen’sconsciousnesshasnotbeenfullyawakenedontheculturalandideologicallevel(RosemaryRoberts,1994;176-188).Feminismgenerallyreferredtogenderequality,butnotradicalFeminism,thetwoshouldnotbeconfused.Basedonthetheoryandpolicybias,feminismwasthemainstreamtrendinourcountryatpresent,thedevelopmentofChinesefeministwhichcomparedtoFeminisminEuropeandtheUnitedStatesandothercountrieswereparticularlydifferent.Fromtheeconomy,culture,educationandotheraspectsofdevelopment,manywomenwantedtobeinoneoftheeffectivewaystodosomethingwomenstruggletogetridofthetraditionalfemaleroletoimprisontheconfusion.Ingeneral,whichguidedwomentoemancipatewomen’sthoughtincontemporaryChina,thedevelopmentofmodernfeminismwasinitiatedbymen,assistedbywomen’screation,withoutthefierceattitudeinthewestbutwithuniquecharacteristics.2.FeministReflectioninVanityFairInthe19thcentury,Europeanfeminismbegantosproutundertheoppressionanddiscriminationofwomeninthepatriarchalsociety,andtheirfemaleconsciousnessgraduallyawakened.Moreandmorewomenbegantofaceuptotheirrolesandpursuemorerights.Asarealisticwriter,Thackeraywasinspiredbyfeminismandsupportedtheindependenceandrightsoffeminism.VanityFairrevealedthecurrentsituationoffeminismatthattime,andtheimpactoffeminismontraditionalwomen.Fromtheperspectiveoffeminism,wecouldseethediscriminationofwomeninsocietyfrommanydetails.ThecontentsofMissPinkerton’sacademyforyoungladieswereasignthatwomenwerestilllearninghowtobegoodwomenwhentheylefthomeandwereeducated.Gettingoutofthisschoolwasjustanotherwayforwomentolivetheirlivesaroundtheirfamilies.Thackeray’stwofemalecharactersweretotallydifferentfromeachotherinfamilybackground,lifeexperienceandattitudetowardslife.However,thereasonwhytheywereputtogetheristogivereadersacontrast,sothatreaderscouldhavebetterunderstandingsofthecultureshockcausedbythetimes.Inthearticle,Amelialikedtheepitomeofthetraditionalfemale—theideal“angel”ofthemale.Suchacharacterputmoreresponsibilityonthefamilyandreliedontheprotectionandcareofthemale.Onthecontrary,theheroineBeckywasmorelikeaproductofthecollisionbetweenfeminismandtraditionalwomenwhowantedtogetridofthefamilybutarerestrictedbythesociety.Sheonlyhadfameandwealthinhereyes,andsheusedeverythingtogetthefameandfortuneshewants.Butawomaninsuchamaterialisticworldwasultimatelyverydifficult,sothatshefinallyreliedonmentoobtainfameandwealth.Therefore,VanityFairmorereflectedthechallengeofVictorianfeministthoughttotraditionalfemalethought,andthedifficultsituationofreflectingfeminismintraditionaleducationandtraditionalmarriage.2.1Thackeray’sThoughtofFeminismTreatingRebeccaSharp’sriseastheresultofapersonalstrugglewasoneofourmeansofunderstandingthesubjectmatterofthenovel,butthesimplemodeofunderstandingoftenfellintothemisunderstandingofaestheticvalueweakening.TakeRebeccasharp,forexample,thedirectreasonformypursuittoentertheupperclassofEnglishsocietywasthepursuitofmaterialwealthandthesenseofbeingdiscriminatedagainstinthespiritualworld.TherootofthisthoughtwasnotinRebeccaSharp'smind,butinthespecialcultureofWesternsociety.Therefore,intheeyesofreaders,RebeccaSharpwasnotasimplewoman,butaproductofaspecifichistoricalera.Firstofall,thesocialrealitythatthewealthheldbythebourgeoisiegraduallyincreasedandthetraditionalaristocracygraduallydeclinedledtotheintersectionsofEnglishsociety.Stablerelationshipswerebroken,andmembersoffemalesociety,suchasRebeccaSharp,sawthepossibilityofmovingupthesocialladder.Secondly,thecapitalistvaluesystemhasseriouslyimpactedtheexistingsocialtradition,andtheworshipofmoney,wealthandfamehasbecomethetrendofthewholesociety.Intheprocess,theugliestpartofhumannatureisreleased.RebeccaSharpnotonlyaconcentratedembodimentofsociety,butalsoaresultofreality'sdistortionofthedarksideofhumannature.ThackerayWilliamwasamasterofsatire,andVanity

Fair

wasoneofThackeray’sclassics.Vanity

FairrevealedthecorruptionofVictoriansocietyandreflectedthestatusandroleofwomeninthepatriarchalsocietybydescribingthedifferentdestiniesofBeckyandAmelia.Atthebeginningofthe19thcentury,Britishsocietywasstilldominatedbymaleandthesocialresponsibilitiesentrustedtowomenbysociety,whichweremuchmoreconcentratedonfamilyandchildren.Asforwomen,Thackeraymaynotcomeoutinfavorofwomenbecauseofthesocietydeep-seatedprejudiceagainstwomen,butheexpressedhisopiniononwomeninrelativelyneutralposition.ForthetwofemalecharactersofVanity

Fair,ThackeraywassympatheticthathegaveahappyendingtothemercenaryBeckyorAmeliawholiketoputeverythingonlove.CombinedwithThackeray’slifeexperience,helongedfortheidealwomeninthetraditionalsocietylikeAmeliaandappreciatesBecky’sindependenceandcourage.ItseemedthatheaffirmedBecky’scourageandpositiveattitude,butdeniedAmelia’sweaknessandblindness.2.2TheWorldofBeckyInthenovel,Beckywasdifferentfromthesymbolicwomenatthebeginning,andshehasmorecharacteristicsofmodernwomen.Itoverthrownthestereotypeofwomenandgavereadersanewunderstandingoffemaleimages.Shewascleverandbraveasastudent.Despiteworldlyprejudices,shehadvisionsandideasthatgirlsdidnothaveatthetime.Sosheearnedherplaceinthefamewithoutanybackground.BeckyatschoolnotonlydroveMissPinkertoncrazy,butshewasalsoundeniablygoodatlearning.FluencyinFrenchandplayingthepianohelpedherinthefuture.Afterleavingschool,shetookadvantageofAmelia’skindnesstostayinAmelia’shome,andsheenviedAmelia’slifetopleaseandseduceAmelia’sbrothercarefully.SheevenstayedwithMiss.Crawleyforherfortune,eventhoughshehatedit.BeckytookgoodcareofMs.Crawleyandmadeherservantswillinglyacceptherarrangement.Intheend,shemanagedtomakeJoseandLordfollowedherfeet,andletRodendropeverythingandstaywithher.Inthisabsurdvanity,shedidnotfoldmeanstousetheadvantageofwomentomakeoneselfgraduallystepintotheaboveflowworld.ThinkofBeckyfromadifferentangle.Fromtheperspectiveofwomen,wehadtoadmitthatBeckywerebeautifulandsplendid,shehadenoughcharmtoattractmentostopforher.Fromthemale’spointofview,awomanlikeBeckyislikelytoarousethemale’sdesireforconquestandprotection.Shehadambitionsthatotherwomendidnothaveandlearnedtheunderstandingofmen.Shewasacombinationoffortuneandmisfortune.Fortunately,althoughshewasdrivenoutofEnglandandwenttoliveonthestreet,shemadeagoodincometorealizeherdreamofwealth.Unfortunately,althoughshewassmartandhard-working,shewasunabletorealizeherself-valueinthismale-centeredworldbecauseoftheunfairtreatmentofwomenatthattime.2.3Amelia’sLifeinVanityFairUnlikeBecky,Ameliawasasimplewomanwhowasgentleandkind,anditwashardtolikeher.Bornintoawealthymerchantfamily,sheyearnedforanideallove.AmelialovedherhusbandOsbornwithallherheart,andregardedOsbornandloveastheonlypillarinlife.Beforefatherbondbankruptcy,herlifehasbeensosmooth.Afterawhileshefeltthelifeisnoteasybutstillaninnocentgirlandromanticperson.Ameliaplacedgreatimportanceonfamilyandlove,andafterlosingherhusbandbegantopineverythingonherson.Shehadtiedherselftoherpreviousmarriageandwasusedtorelyingonothersashersupport.ButAmeliahadatraditionalfemaleattachmenttomarriageandwasreluctanttostartanewrelationship.WhenshefacedDobbin’slove,shestillfelttheyshouldsticktotheoriginallove.Shedidn’tpullawayfromherpreviousrelationshipandmarrydobbinuntilBeckytoldherthattheelopementhadmadeherseeOsborneashereallywas.Intheend,Ameliagainedaseeminglyhappyfamily,socialstatusandmoney,butinrealityherhusbandhaddoubtsabouttherelationshipbetweenthem,andtheinitialheartofAmeliabecamearesponsibility.InAmelia’sworld,shewasusedtoweavingherlifewithlove,andshehadtheinnocenceandromanceuniquetowomenwithatouchofsadness.IfyouhavetojudgethecharacterofAmelia,shewastheidealcompanionofamale-centeredsociety,agoodwifeandmother,butatragedyforwomen.2.4TheDiscrepancyBetweenAmeliaandBeckyInVanityFair,Thackeraywrotetwovividfemalecharacters—BeckyandAmelia.Thesetwogirlsweretotallydifferentbutsetoffandcontrastwitheachother,representingthedifferentsituationsoftraditionalwomenandstrugglingwomeninthesocietyatthattime.Ameliawasfromasuperiorfamily,satisfiedwiththedestiny,infatuatedwiththepursuitofideallove.Beckywasbornintopovertyandmanagedeverythingwithallherheart.Shewantedtogetoutoftroubleandchangeherlife.Thesimilaritybetweenthemmaybethattheybothattractedtheinterestandadmirationofmenandexceptedthattheirencountersareliketwolinesofbalancethatdonotcross.AmeliaandBeckyhadverydifferentattitudestowardlove,idealism,andmanythings.Likedmostwomeninthesocietyatthattime,Ameliawaskindandsimple.Shewaslikeastonewithoutedgesandcornersininterpersonalcommunication,andwaspraisedandappreciatedbymostpeople.Inlove,herlifedependedonagoodmarriage,shewaseagertomarryayearninghusband,hadahappyfamily.Ameliatookthehappinessofherhusbandandchildrenasthebasisofherownhappiness,whichwasthemainsourceofwomen’shappinessinthesocietyatthattime.Herdependenceonherfamilyreflectedtheimprisonmentoftraditionalsocietyandcultureonwomen.Themostterriblethingwasthatmostwomentookthisimprisonmentastheirlifelongbelief.Onthecontrary,inordertoknowthebadtreatmentofherbirth,Bettytriedtochangeallthisunfairness.Sadly,shewasnotqualifiedtochangeallthisbyherownmeans.Despiteherextraordinarybeautyandtalent,Beckycouldonlyachievehergoalthroughmarriage.Inhereyes,loveandtheirownbeautyandtalentweresteppingstonestochangefate.Throughacomprehensiveobservationofthesetwocharacters,AmeliaandBecky,ifAmeliawastheepitomeoftraditionalwomen,thenBeckywastheembodimentoftheawakeningoffeminisminVanityFair.AmeliawasthelifeexamplesetbyThackerayforthepatriarchalculture,whileBeckywasthenegativeexampleprovidedbyThackeray.Itmadeuswitnessthecivilizedshacklesimposedonwomenbythepatriarchalsociety,andtheoppressionandhindranceofmentowomen’sspirit(李若西,2017).3.TheSocialSituationofFeminism3.1TheGermofFeminismin19th-CenturyLiteratureTheEnglishliteratureofthe19thcenturychangedfromtheromanticliteratureofthe18thcenturytocriticalrealism,andalargenumberofcriticalliterarywritersemerged.Theworkscreatedbythesewriterswhoweremoreclosetolifeandsocialreality.Inaddition,mostofthefemalecharactersinthisperiodhadthecouragetofightagainstthepatriarchalsocietyandagainsttheclassoppression.Asthefiguresthatresistedthepatriarchalsociety,theyoftenrepresentedthehistoricalleapoffeminism.Amongthem,feministliteraryworksornovelswithfemalethemeshadagreatinfluenceonthedevelopmentoffeminism.Inthe19thcentury,women’ssocialstatuswaslowandhumble,whichwasreflectedintheireconomicdependenceonmen.Fromthesocialcustom,socialcustomandsocialcultureatthattime,womenwereboundinthefamilylife,takingcareofhusbandandchildren.Whenmenwentouttoearnmoneytosupporttheirfamilies,thefinancialburdenshouldbeshoulderedbymen,whilewomenwerejusttheaccessoriesofthefamily.Forexample,inVanityFair,Amelia’sdependenceonfamilyandyearningforlove,andBeckyusedmarriagetogetridoffate.Thesocialpositioningofwomenwasalwaysconfinedtothefamily,andthisideaconstantlyoppresseswomen.Manywomenevenacquiescedinthesocialpositioningofthem,andgaveupresistanceandself-consciousness.Onthecontrary,asarepresentativeofthemiddleandlowerclasses,Beckyhadadistinctfeministcolorandastrongsenseofself.InBecky’sopinion,themarriagewasasteppingstonetochangeherlife,childrenandhusbandarenotherbeliefandhappiness.Beckywasnotagoodmotherorwifeinthetraditionalsense.Shecanabandonherhusbandandchildrenatanytimeforherownbenefit.Inthemale-centeredpatriarchalsociety,shewasadifferentkindofmonster.BesidesBecky,thereweremanyfeministcharactersintheliteraryworksofthe19thcentury,suchasJaneAusteninJaneEyre,ElizabethinPrideandPrejudice,MaryinMaryBarton.Theywerefocusedontheirowndestinyanddidnotyieldtothesocialdefinitionofthem.Theysymbolizedthegerminationoffeminismanddaretochallengethedecadentideologyandcultureandtheunfairsocialorderinthepatriarchalsociety.Thesefeministrolesweretheproductoftheawakeningoffeministconsciousnessandthecollisionofinherentpatriarchalthoughts.3.2InspirationandReferencetoModernFeminismLikesomuchoftherealisticcriticalliteratureofthe19thcentury,VanityFairwasnotjustanovelbutamicrocosmofBritishsociety.ItrevealedthecrazypursuitoffameandwealthandmaterialsocialphenomenonoftheBritishpeople,andalsoreflectedthedifficultsituationoffeminisminthissituation.Atthattime,women’sfeministconsciousnesshadbeguntoawaken,andthemajorityofwomenbegantopursuetheirownindependenceandchangetheirlife.However,theconflictbetweentheirchangeandtheinherentsocialtraditionalculturalmainstreamhadresultedintwodifferentresults:onewasthatwomenstillmaintaintheiroriginalstatusandbindthemselvestotheirfamiliesandtheotherwasthatwomenstarttopursuetheirownindependence,buthadtosubmittothesocialreality.Anychangewouldthreatenthestatusquoandwouldbesuppressedbythemainstream.Inthenovel,BeckyandAmeliawerethetwoopposites,anditwastheunavoidabledifferencebetweenthemthatmadefuturegenerationsreadmuchunwillingtohavetocompromise.Thiskindofunwillingnesswasakindofabnormalgrowththatthefeminismatthattimewasdistortedalthoughitstartedtosprout.However,itwasundeniablethattheseliteraryworksinthe19thcenturylaidasolidfoundationforthedevelopmentoffeminism,andtosomeextent,theyalsopromotedthedevelopmentandimprovementoffeminism.BothVanityFairandotherliteraryworksinthe19thcenturyhaveprovidedresearchtextsforthestudyofwomen.Theyrecordedtheresearchvalueoffeminisminthe19thcenturyandexpressthehesitationoffeminismundersocialoppression.ThefemaleconsciousnessreflectedinthemodernChinesefemaleliteraturewascloselyrelatedtothefemaleconsciousnessinthe19thcentury.Uptonow,modernfeminismhadsomesimilaritieswiththefeminismofthattime,whichwillbeopposedbysomedecadentoldideas.However,thedifferencewasthattheoverallsocialenvironmentwasmoreinclusiveandfriendlytofeminism,andgenderequalitywasthemaintoneadvocatedinthisera.ConclusionFromtheperspectiveofthispaper,thispapermainlyfocusesontwofemalecharactersinVanityFairtocarryouttheresearchonfeminismandthesocialstatusofwomeninthissocialcontext.ManydetailsweredescribedinVanityFairthatreadercouldseetheawakeningofwomen’sindependentconsciousnessandtheimprovementofwomen’sstatus.Forexample,womenwenttoschoolforsystematiceducation,andwomenwentouttowork.Althoughfeminismwashinderedbytheinherenttraditionalideasandclassoppression,feministvalueshadbeguntocomeintothepubliceye.Inrecentyears,feminismhasbeenahottopicinboththewestandChina.Withtheincreasingattentionofthepublic,manyscholarshaveincreasedtheirdiscussiononfeminism.Atthedawnoffeminismintheearly19thcentury,mostwomen’sself-worthandhappinesswerebasedonfamilyneeds.However,withtheawakeningofwomen’sconsciousness,womengraduallywalkedoutofthefamilyandpursued