This research compares meaning of practical feminism through writings and lives between Na Hye-Suk and George Eliot and show feministic approach. Feministic approach means by a method to analyze every events and ideas that are shown in writings and li...
This research compares meaning of practical feminism through writings and lives between Na Hye-Suk and George Eliot and show feministic approach. Feministic approach means by a method to analyze every events and ideas that are shown in writings and lives through woman's point of view.
The first motive to start this research was from assumption that difference between Na's miserable life and Eliot's happy and successful life was caused by different traditional ethics of their societies, historical backgrounds, and personal abilities to face those.
During modernization of Korean society, conscious reform, which is supposed to develop with balance between economic and political growth, was too sudden to make this balance happen due to gloomy political situation. Many intelligent people insisted women to live their own lives by way of conscious reform but Korean women found it not simple to do so under the situation that would now allow their individual economical independence. This kind of situation led not only women but all the intellectuals not to have any positive belief in future of Korean society and at the end, they tended to deny their self-leaded lives as well as denying presence of their nation. A new group of woman intellectuals was at last one of the biggest scapegoat under the mental panic. They had to be expelled from their society and history being accused of destruction of patriarchy and national insurrection to copy modernization of Western society.
On the other hand, British social reform, started from The Industrial Revolution together with growth of bourgeois, has produced trust towards the society through trust and confidence in future of nation and led to accept self confidence and traditional ethics together. Having self confidence then led to philanthropism to accomodate and love others' lives and ideas. George Eliot's liberal life or ethical strictness from her writings may be a good example 'to submit to the most noble law'. This 'the most noble law' means that human's life can not be apart from social standards and relationship.Eliot's life and writings were indeed practices of feministic movement that is flexible and available to any society.
This research now shows how Na and Eliot in two different society face their lives and put these in their writings, and also shows how their feministic ideas are revealed in both their life and pieces.