China and the West

[Austen, Jane]. Ao man yu pian jian [ID D26674].
Zhu Hong pointed out in the preface that, in spite of the trivial family events depicted, "the small world in the novel reflects big problems. The tiny occurrences of three or four families in the countryside reveal the class situation and economic relations of English society". In Zhu's eyes, love and marriage in the novel indicate the prevailing inclination to be possessive in a capitalist society in which economic relations plays a decisive role and marriage relations amount to nothing more than a kind of financial deal.