In the field of Jane Austen study, some critics regard her novels as a preaching of Christianity while some others consider her works as secular novels. In regards of the author¡¦s religious background, it is essential to re-examine her novels in order to formulate the influence of religion in both her life and her works and to settle certain debates on her belief.
This present thesis will center on three of Austen¡¦s novels: Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma, with exploring her surviving correspondence in mention of her opinion on Christians, to probe into her religious principles and to provide a neutral viewpoint to scrutinize the relation between literature and religion in the novels.
The introductory chapter gives an overall look on Jane Austen¡¦s religious and historical background. The following three chapters aim to discuss several elements of Christianity in her novels respectively. Chapter One exemplifies the practice of Christian charity in Austen¡¦s novels as well as in her daily life. It also elaborates on certain ¡§good principles¡¨ that were well-known by the Regency congregation and that were practiced by the authoress. Chapter Two discusses how Austen reflects the biblical teaching in her novels without using direct quotes and how she presents her concern of the potential crisis with ambiguous values. The final chapter deals with the problems facing by the Regency clergy and how Austen projects her ideal clergy through a hero¡¦s mouth. Most importantly, this thesis conjectures the reasons of Austen¡¦s evasiveness on religion in hope to gain a new insight into her fictional world.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NSYSU/oai:NSYSU:etd-0802111-150331 |
| Date | 02 August 2011 |
| Creators | Chen, Li-hung |
| Contributors | Teeuwen, Rudolphus, Lai, Shu-fang, Yan, Shu-chuan |
| Publisher | NSYSU |
| Source Sets | NSYSU Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lib.nsysu.edu.tw/ETD-db/ETD-search/view_etd?URN=etd-0802111-150331 |
| Rights | unrestricted, Copyright information available at source archive |
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