Feminism is a movement of theories that share the same goal: to define, establish and achieve equal political rights, economic, cultural, personal and social. for women, it is equal status in education and employment. Feminism was born to defend the rights and roles of women in society, while the development of culture and social norms and values ​​increasingly differentiate women and men. To promote feminism, many writers wrote novels, plays and other literary works and through them, feminism took off. Other means were adopted to give birth to feminism, such as campaigns, etc. But through writing, feminism became a sensitive issue, and novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote: “The pen is mightier than the sword. » Only by writing would people's mentality change. In the Victorian era, the plight of women was unfortunate and to change this stereotypical way of life, the famous feminist novelist Jane Austen tried to change the Victorian society through her works by writing the novel Pride and Prejudice which brought a change radical at the time. The Victorian era was also known for another writer, Charles Dickens, who doesn't really talk about feminism but highlights the complexities, difficulties, situations and bad practices that women were subjected to and how they survived in his novel. Pride and Prejudice and A Tale of Two Cities highlight the idea of ​​feminism and, as Australian feminist activist GD Anderson said: “Feminism is not about making women strong. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives strength. »Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen promoted feminism primarily through Elizabeth and other female characters in the novel. It is a novel that tells the story of a woman who does not have the right to choose her husband. According to the culture the inherent will be cousin, if there is no son the wife or daughter will get nothing. In this case, the woman is considered a weak creature. A woman also does not have the right to choose her relationship. Friedan argues that as women returned home to abandon their work to men, this mystique reduced women's identities to sexual and social passivity. Women must always kneel before men because men are superior. But in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett denies this norm. Elizabeth's romanticism and individualism, Austen presents her heroine's struggle to find a place within the conservative, social institution of marriage that was included in Victorian society despite her rebellious nature. During Elizabeth's struggle, it is worth noting that she is also emerging as a feminist character. When Elizabeth meets Lady Catherine de Bourgh when the Lady visits Elizabeth's house, Lady de Bourgh confronts Elizabeth about her relationship with Mr. Darcy during which Elizabeth tells Lady de Bourgh “he is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter; until now we are equal.” This is the first time in the novel that Elizabeth can truly be described as a feminist character. Feminism is an experience that equates women and men as equals, and this moment where Elizabeth declares herself equal to Mr. Darcy is where Elizabeth emerges as the feminist who had already been highlighted in previous chapters.From the beginning of the novel, Elizabeth was simply an outspoken woman with many opinions to express and who was not afraid of being suppressed by those around her. She never really assimilated with men or her oppressors, she never really carved out a real path for herself with her own virtues and her ideas of success for her future, unlike Charlotte Lucas who did so by marrying Mr. Collins with only the intention of living a comfortable life. Feminism of that era is very different from how it has evolved to today and a perfect example of a feminist at the time would be Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte can be seen as a feminist instead of Elizabeth during the early chapters of Pride and Prejudice due to her ability to make firm decisions for herself, not based on the sole desire to live for all desires and needs of her husband. Furthermore, Jane Austen is concerned with neither. the aristocracy at the top nor the poor. She analyzes the clashes between the two groups. As this class was not required to work, their occupations were mainly social, dinners and balls. Girls belonging to this class were not educated for any profession. But they were expected to be accomplished in music, drawing, dancing, needlework, etc. Since women could not legally inherit their parents' property, if they did not marry, they had no economic security. An elderly spinster was, in most cases, neither respected nor properly cared for. The main goal of girls was therefore to marry eligible bachelors. According to Mary Wollstonecraft, “Women are not naturally weaker than men, but they appear weak because they have a low level of education.” Education is the solution to these mental problems and at that time girls were not allowed to get any education. For example, Lady Catherine asks Elizabeth. She wants to know who Elizabeth's teacher is. In fact, Elizabeth doesn't have a teacher. Then, Lady Catherine is surprised when she hears Elizabeth's response. However, her husband, Darcy, is an educated man. In this case, there is gender inequality in the form of education. Man has the right to learn and study well in an educational institution while woman does not have the right to learn and study like man. Fortunately, Elizabeth has a hard time dealing with discrimination. She forgets her stupidity by just reading. Elizabeth is a feminist who can fight to break out of the stereotype that women are weak and stupid. She can oppose the patriarchal system by learning and studying through reading. In addition to this, all female characters except Elizabeth conclude that if a woman has mastered all her duties to become a good wife, she has become a perfect woman, except for the nurturing skills which were considered a waste of time. Darcy also supports the idea of ​​The Perfect Lady. Darcy's desire for a "handsome" shows the mentality of English upper class men who believe themselves superior to women and women should be as beautiful and tempting as they want, not just men, classy women superior. have also been used to categorize other women. Thus, Mr. Darcy is like other men in society although he is presented as a nice gentleman. However, upon seeing Elizabeth coming down the street alone, sweaty with her dress and shoes wet in the mud, her opinion of women changes. He sees Elizabeth as the one who dares to question the norms and regulations intended only for women. “Walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles,or whatever it is, above her ankles in the earth, and alone, quite alone! What could she mean by that? This seems to me to demonstrate an abominable sort of vain independence, a very rustic indifference to decorum. The quote above says that Elizabeth is an independent woman. She is the representation of a strong girl. However, he can walk for five miles on his own. The road is slippery because of the rain. Additionally, in the story, the woman is neglected by her husband, William Darcy. Darcy doesn't want to go with him and he doesn't care about Elizabeth either. Darcy's attitude shows that she is the representation of discrimination against women. Even if the woman is discriminated against by men, she can act like a strong woman. She can do what man cannot do. Additionally, the woman in the story is physically stronger than the man. The man has nothing to do but the woman can walk alone on a distant path. This is a reflection of feminism. A feminist can leave her house while a man can leave his house even if she has to go alone. Austen created the portrayal of Elizabeth in a feminist way to reveal the atrocities that are done to women. By reading and analyzing the character of Elizabeth, women begin to realize their worth, and in support of feminism, many writers have written about the evolution of feminist society. The first book devoted to Austen as a feminist is Margaret Kirkham's Jane Austen, Feminism and Fiction, which argues that Austen dramatizes the concerns of the feminist enlightenment of her day like Mary Wollstonecraft. Elizabeth's criticism and mockery of men in the novel express her view of a patriarchal society, explained by Marxist feminist theory. The concept of Marxist feminism, discussed by Donovan, is based on a patriarchal worldview in which society is controlled by men. He explains that women are always looked down upon and that with feminism, the status of women will improve and this was only possible thanks to literary works. He adds that women are at the mercy of men. But Elizabeth does not respond to this statement. She fights against this patriarchal society and succeeds in persuading Mr. Darcy, a powerful male figure, to change his view of the world and women. Although Austen's critiques of society still fall within a feminist literary tradition, her portrait illustrates an ever-changing personality who would fight against society's stupid and perverse norms. Another writer who wrote about the deterioration of women is Charles Dickens. In his novel A Tale of Two Cities, he wrote about the situation of women and their difficulties in conforming to the rules in the male-dominated society. The women in the novel are only reflections of the female characters in Pride and Prejudice, with the exception of Elizabeth. As both novels are written in the Victorian era, they possess the same traits of women presented in the society of that era. At the time of “A Tale of Two Cities,” women played a very specific role in society. Regardless of social class, women were expected to marry, obey their husbands and raise children. Women very rarely had a job and most stayed at home. However, women played a vital role in the French Revolution, participating in brutal mob actions and often inciting their own riots. Lucie Manette is the daughter of Doctor Manette and Dickens represents the perfect woman. Lucie is a compassionate young woman. Dickens describes his own view of his father by saying: "She was the golden thread which united him to a past beyond his misery and to a present beyond hismisery: and the sound of his voice, the light of his face, the touch of his father. hand, almost always had a strong beneficial influence on him. Dickens presented Lucy as a woman should be and that was not the case in society. His mere presence has a positive influence on his father. Not only is she loved by her father, but also by "hundreds of men" because of her gentle nature, Miss Pross says, the most notable being Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. Lucie has such an influence on Sydney Carton that he is no longer the same person as at the beginning of the story. His love for her leads him to sacrifice his life so that Lucie and Darnay can be together. Lucy is Dicken's perfect representation of both how he thought women should be and how society thought women should be. A man should be attracted to a woman not by her talent but by her intelligence and calm and gentle nature, as in the case of Sydney Carton. He loves Lucie so much that he dies for her in order to always remain in his heart for eternity. On the contrary, Madame Defarge is a completely different kind of woman. The wife of a rebellion leader, Madame Defarge is deeply twisted in the Revolution. Throughout the book she has seen knitting, and at first glance it seems like a normal female duty. However, Madame Defarge does not knit a scarf or a sweater but rather makes a list of people who she believes must die for the Revolution to succeed. By taking that of Madame Defargetricotant and doing an act intended to incite violence, Dickens shows us that she is a perversion of a normal woman. Madame Defarge is also obsessed with revenge. Her brother was killed by the Evremonde family and because of this, she is consumed by hatred. She decides to kill the entire Evremonde family including Darnay and his new wife Lucie. His hatred would be the death of Lucie. When Madame Defarge goes to kill Lucie, she finds Miss Pross and after a fight between them, Madame Defarge is killed by her own gun. The actions and personalities of Lucie and Madame Defarge are crucial to understanding what happens to each of them at the end of the novel. Lucie was only good to people and as a result, she married the man she loved. Madame Defarge is nothing but vengeful and hateful. Her malice and desire for revenge causes her to die at the hands of Miss Pross. Dickens does this deliberately to illustrate how, when women act as they should, they will find happiness. Therefore, if a woman behaves in an unseemly manner, she will only have bad luck. Dickens also portrays the other women in the novel as either nurturing life or destroying it. Mothers play a particularly important role in this sense, since Dickens differentiates between natural and unnatural mothers. Women like Darnay's mother, Madame Evrémonde, and Lucie's mother, Madame Manette, represented mothers who die young but leave their children with a sense of conscience and love. Madame Evrémonde's exhortations to Darnay to atone for the family's misdeeds, for example, motivate him to risk his life to help others. Lucie is also a natural mother, nurturing her daughter and protecting her from harm. The women of Monseigneur's court, however, represent unnatural mothers, who care so little for their children that they push them away to wet nurses and nannies and pretend that the children do not even exist. Similarly, Dickens even describes St. Anthony's mothers raising their children as unnatural in the fact that they can spend the day among a vicious mob killing and beheading people, then return home smeared in blood to play with their children. 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