The Print Culture and Female Education in Pride and Prejudice Abstract As a realistic writer, Jane Austen's works truly reflect female problems in the socio-historical background. Her concern about female education and her progressive feminist consciousness could be found throughout her novels, especially in Pride and Prejudice (1813). During her time, the progress of the industrial revolution and the development of printing industry made it possible for novels to be produced in great numbers and granted middle-class women more access to such literary publications, awakening the feminist consciousness. By the time of the Victorian era, female education has received unprecedented attention and made tremendous improvement. Elizabeth, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice, embodies Austen's concept of female salvation, i.e., education, mostly by means of reading and writing, is the only way for women to achieve their self-cultivation. In this novel, different characters are created to demonstrate the intelligence and capacity of educated women, hinting at the gender equality in education.60581

Keywords: literary publishing, novel, reading, female education

从《傲慢与偏见》看印刷出版文化对女性教育的影响

摘  要作为一名现实主义作家，简·奥斯汀的作品真实地反映了社会历史背景下的女性问题。她对女性教育的关注和她进步的女性意识贯穿于小说之中，其中又以1813年出版的《傲慢与偏见》最具代表性。在她生活的时代，工业革命的进步与印刷业的发展使小说的大批量生产成为可能，为中产阶级妇女提供了更多接触文学的机会，从而促进了女性意识的觉醒。至维多利亚时期，女性教育问题受到了空前的关注，女性受教育状况发生了巨大的变化。《傲慢与偏见》的女主角伊丽莎白体现了奥斯汀的女性自我救赎理念，即教育（主要通过阅读与写作）是提高自我修养的唯一途径。作者在小说中塑造了不同的人物形象来显示受过良好教育的女性的智慧与能力，从而表明男女有平等受教育的权利。

毕业论文关键词：出版；小说；阅读；女性教育

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Pride and Prejudice then and now 1

1.2 Previous studies of Pride and Prejudice 1

2. Print culture and female education in the Regency era 4

2.1 The progress of printing technology and publishing industry 4

2.2 The expansion of literary readership and female education 5

3. Publishing and reading in Pride and Prejudice 8

3.1 Case studies of female readers and writers in Pride and Prejudice 8

3.1.1 Jane Bennet----a well-educated and modest female reader 8

3.1.2 Elizabeth Bennet----a knowledgeable and intelligent female reader 8

3.1.3 Charlotte Lucas----a sensible and independent female reader 9

3.2 Austen's view of literary publishing and female education 10

4. Conclusion 12

References 1

1. Introduction

1.1 Pride and Prejudice then and now

Jane Austen was one of the eminent realistic novelists in the history of English literature in the 19th century. She completed six classical novels in her short life time: Sense and sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1816), Northanger Abbey (1818) and Persuasion (1818). As a realistic writer, Jane Austen's works truly reflect female problems in the socio-historical background. Her concern about female education and her progressive female consciousness could be found throughout her novels, especially in Pride and Prejudice.