1. Introduction 1.1 Research background Charlotte Bronteuml; (1816-1855) was an outstanding novelist as well as a poet in modern England and was a pioneer of women's literature in the nineteenth century in pursuit of freedom and equality. Charlotte Bronteuml;#8217;s work, especially her novels can be undoubtedly regarded as the most classic creations in the researching of gender consciousness and female literature. The writers in later ages were influenced by her to different degrees when dealing with female themes. Herbert Read (1893) holds that Charlotte's influence on the development of English fiction is far more profound than most people think. Charlotte Bronteuml;#8217;s work often indicate her strong desire to encourage women for independence and equality. The most noted work are Jane Eyre, Shirley and Villette, etc. Shirley was one of the most important works of Charlotte Bronteuml;#8217;s, polished in 1894 under the background of Napoleonic Wars in the early the nineteenth century and the Anglo-American War of 1812. During the creation of Shirley, Charlotte#8217;s three siblings passed away in succession. The novel shocked the British literary arena with its profound social theme and unique women image and it also brought Charlotte Bronteuml; a higher reputation and a further consolidated statue in the literary world. Shirley is not as famous as Jane Eyre, but compared with the later, it has more substantial contents. Besides, Charlotte Bronteuml; endowed the novel with more social values and considered more about the history and society. . 1.2 Need of the study Female consciousness is one of the important criteria of female literary criticism. Writers, especially female writers usually convey their consciousness to the readers through their works. The so-called "female consciousness" often refers to women's subjective consciousness, self-consciousness and equality consciousness. It is difficult for us to track the origin of female consciousness, but we can analyze different literary works written in different periods of time and social circumstance to know the development of female consciousness. Studying the female consciousness, even those tragedies that happened to women, we can easily understand women#8217;s living condition and the importance of advocating gender equality. However, female consciousness and equality are not widely accepted by all people in today#8217;s society. Although many scholars have done researches on feminism，the forms of discrimination faced by women are varied. In the workplace, comparing with men, women have less choices and opportunities. Even in some backward regions in China, for instance, in the small villages of Shandong province, women even cannot share the dining table with men on the Chinese New Year#8217;s Eve. Therefore, the female literatures, like Shirley and Jane Eyre, show us women#8217;s thinking and struggling, encouraging women to fight for equality and freedom and letting people know the importance of equality with the help of literature. 1.3. Literature review Shirley is not as greatly influential as Jane Eyre, but it still has its special position in Charlotte Bronteuml;#8217;s works. Some scholars do researches from the perspective of images of female characters in the novel. Wang Changchen (2014) analyzes the changes of female characters in Charlotte#8217;s novels including The Professor, Jane Eyre, Villette, Shirley and Emma, leading the readers to explore the cases of the changes and reveal the reality in the process of striving for women#8217;s right. It provides us with an overall consideration. Chen Ningning (2017) researches the subversive heroine image, Shirley Keeldar, and points out Charlotte#8217;s deep intention to establish the ideal marriage and relationships. In her opinion, Charlotte subverted the images of males and females in traditional literature, portrayed a distinctive heroine Shirley and a marginalized male figure, and tried to establish her ideal marriage and relationships. Susan, Z. (1991) attaches her importance on cultural and historical background and analyzes the revisionist tactics used by Charlotte, which can provide us a new aspect to analyze Charlotte#8217;s characteristic creation. Works Cited Charlotte, B. (1849), Shirley. Britain: Smith, Elder and Co. Emily, G. (2008), Charlotte Bronteuml;'s religion: faith, feminism, and Jane Eyre. Christianity and Literature, 1, 29-59. Retrieved Dec. 1, 2008, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs Helen, T. (1979), Class and gender in Charlotte Bronte's Shirley. Feminist Review, 1, 88-93. Retrieved Mar. 1, 1979, from https://link.springer.com/journal/41305 Susan, Z. (1991), Luddism, medievalism and women's history in "Shirley": Charlotte Bronteuml;'s revisionist tactics. A Forum on Fiction, 1, 282-295. Retrieved Spring, 1991, from http://jbr.org/articles.html Tara, M. (2006), Women and myth narratives in Charlotte Bronteuml;'s Shirley. Women#8217;s Writing, 20, 477-492. Retrieved Dec. 20 1991, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs.html 陈宁宁，冯茜（2017），超越男权话语的女性叙事#8212;#8212;论夏洛蒂#183;勃朗特的小说《谢利》，《名作赏析》。

山西：山西三晋报刊传媒集团。

怀宝珍（2004），论夏洛蒂#183;勃朗特的女性意识,硕士学位论文。

山东：山东师 范大学。

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上海：上海文化出版社。

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吉林：东北师范大学。

夏洛蒂#183;勃朗特（1981/2010），《谢利》（Shirley）, 徐望藩，邱顺林译。

北 京：北京燕山出版社。