Women and Silence: Elizabeth Bennet and Eliza Doolittle as the changing ideals of women

Abstract

The bachelor thesis focuses on the comparison of two main female characters of literary works "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen and "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw. The theoretical part consists of four chapters. Two of them describe the historical and cultural context from the end of the 18th to the beginning of 20th century Britain. This context is presented in connection with the lives of both authors. Subsequent chapters then contain the descriptions of each character - Elizabeth Bennet and Eliza Doolittle. The practical part examines the differences between the characters and the eras which they represented. It also considers the writers' intentions behind their creation. The conclusion proves the changing ideals of women represented by the two characters in question.