Social Dissensions and a Romantic Solution in Charlotte Bronte¨'s Shirley

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Charlotte Bront?, from the time in Shirley throught her own life time, must have seen a vicious cycle of human sufferings, and this explains why she is kept from suggesting any practical alternatives for a better society. I do not agree on some criticism of Charlotte Bront?'s approach to social problems which focuses on her inability to offer any kind of answer to social questions. My contention is that her alternative is in her romantic theme of togetherness; she seems to argue that the hope for the proletariat can only be achieved by a change of the propertied's heart -- the change toward sympathy, humanity, and fellow-feeling. Charlotte Bront? never underestimates domestic happiness and the power of love; she suggests that they can conquer any formidable barrier which is about to cause dissensions among human relations.