Analyzing the Image of “Hysterical Madwoman” from a Feminist Perspective--Analysis of the Causes and Expression Effects of the Related Images in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights

School of Foreign Languages, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730100, China

^* Corresponding author: geyf2024@lzu.edu.cn

Abstract

With the increasing depth of feminism-related theories, how to analyze the image of women in classic literature from a new perspective has become the focus of academic circles in the past five years. However, the literature in this field is scarce, the research results are insufficient, and there is a lack of unified explanation and cognition of the reasons for the formation of this image and the search for perspectives. Therefore, this study selects two English classics, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, and focuses on the image of the “madwoman” in them. Based on the methods of comparative study and case analysis, the author compares the similarities and differences of the image of the “madwoman” in the two works from three perspectives: appearance, behavior, and language, and at the same time, explore the causes of the image from the perspective of Jung’s archetypes. The study found that the two images of the “madwoman” are similar in nature, but there are obvious differences in the methods of expression and causes; through the analysis of Jung’s related theories and the analogy with the phenomenon of Victorian women’s labeling, both images of women have the desire to break through the stereotypes of society.