What kind of obstructions do characters and perhaps real people face in regards to the goals they set with their information-processing hardware and to the adaptations to life they have to make?
"Miss Darcy, on her brother's entrance, exerted herself much more to talk; and Elizabeth saw that he was anxious for his sister and herself to get acquainted, and forwarded, as much as possible, every attempt at conversation on either side. Miss Bingley saw all this likewise; and, in the imprudence of anger, took the first opportunity of saying with sneering civility,
'Pray, Miss Eliza, are not the -shire militia removed from Meryton? They must be a great loss to your family.' " (Pride and Prejudice p. 280)
"...it is clear that a functional perspective on real minds is the basis of a teleological perspective on fictional minds. Teleological analysis is the study of narrative in terms of its ultimate purpose and overall design. The teleological analysis of a text is based on the assumption that its parts function coherently toward a comprehensible end purpose." (The Whole Mind p. 90)
The general concept of "stream of consciousness" within a functional perspective is that the mind can set goals which requires a mind-set with distance between the present and the future, and that the mind adapts to the changes and surprises it faces in order to achieve these goals. So what happens when someone has a clear goal, but behaves in a way that shows they have not adapted to the new situation/will set them back in their trajectory. We see this with Miss Bingley in this classic moment when she clearly puts her foot in her mouth in front of the very object of her "affections" (or we could say "desire for money and status".) It makes the reader cringe because it is obvious she is definitely making herself completely unsuitable to Darcy in every way. On the other hand, on a teleological level, the narrator has set us up to believe the whole time that Caroline is the antithesis to Lizzie that will never get Darcy in the end, so on this level we stay calm because we know it is all so that Lizzie and Darcy can have the happy conclusion to their marriage plot. In a way, when reading something such as Pride and Prejudice, the reader is not only entering all the fictional minds of the characters, but that of the narrator him/herself. Perhaps this is even a basis for why we can analyze novels in this teleological way. Also, in regards to this moment with Caroline, perhaps her anger has caused her to adapt to the situation, but at the same time causes her to forget her main goal. She forms another goal, which is to embarrass and hurt Lizzie, and she succeeds here, but it has other consequences.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Literature and Mind Post 14: Happiness and Pride and Prejudice
How does the newly common concept of the "right to happiness" shown by McMahon come into play in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice?
"' Had not my own feelings decided against you, had they been indifferent, or had they even been favourable, do you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man, who has been the means of ruining, perhaps for ever, the happiness of a most beloved sister?'" (Pride and Prejudice p. 212)
"Judged by the standards of the preceding millennium and a half, the question was extraordinary: a right to happiness? And yet it was posed rhetorically, in full confidence of the nodding assent of enlightened minds. By midcentury the claim was becoming commonplace, and by century's end it was more common still. Clearly, human beings deserved to be happy" (McMahon p. 200)
During the interesting period of the 18th century, people's mentality towards happiness was taking a turn towards what we know today. Before this time, people often saw happiness as something that was not attained on earth, but rather in heaven. It was their "heavenly reward," after living in a world where everyone was inherently sinful and corrupt. Now, people were starting to see happiness as a natural state of man, and they were beginning to believe that earthly things could in fact bring happiness (and therefore not everything was sinful), and that God wanted man to take pleasure in things. Happiness actually transitioned into a "right," which as McMahon states would have been completely "extraordinary" and unthinkable before. By the time Jane Austen began to write, the right to happiness would have been very common in discourse.
In the passage shown above, in which Elizabeth is actively rejecting Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal, one can see the concept of the "right to happiness" firmly in place. Had her feelings "even been favourable," the fact that Darcy ruined "the happiness of a most beloved sister" is absolutely unpardonable. Of course, it can be argued whether or not Lizzie is right in saying that Darcy personally and deliberately ended her sister's happiness for the rest of her life, but the message is clear. Happiness is something that Lizzie's sister deserves and inherently has, and when someone else or something else impedes on this happiness, that is a serious crime against her and her family. Later on, we even see Darcy agreeing that this accusation, if it actually was true, would be a valid and terrible one, in his letter explaining himself. In general, the idea that is still in place today of "the right to happiness" comes out very clearly in this moment in Pride and Prejudice.
"' Had not my own feelings decided against you, had they been indifferent, or had they even been favourable, do you think that any consideration would tempt me to accept the man, who has been the means of ruining, perhaps for ever, the happiness of a most beloved sister?'" (Pride and Prejudice p. 212)
"Judged by the standards of the preceding millennium and a half, the question was extraordinary: a right to happiness? And yet it was posed rhetorically, in full confidence of the nodding assent of enlightened minds. By midcentury the claim was becoming commonplace, and by century's end it was more common still. Clearly, human beings deserved to be happy" (McMahon p. 200)
During the interesting period of the 18th century, people's mentality towards happiness was taking a turn towards what we know today. Before this time, people often saw happiness as something that was not attained on earth, but rather in heaven. It was their "heavenly reward," after living in a world where everyone was inherently sinful and corrupt. Now, people were starting to see happiness as a natural state of man, and they were beginning to believe that earthly things could in fact bring happiness (and therefore not everything was sinful), and that God wanted man to take pleasure in things. Happiness actually transitioned into a "right," which as McMahon states would have been completely "extraordinary" and unthinkable before. By the time Jane Austen began to write, the right to happiness would have been very common in discourse.
In the passage shown above, in which Elizabeth is actively rejecting Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal, one can see the concept of the "right to happiness" firmly in place. Had her feelings "even been favourable," the fact that Darcy ruined "the happiness of a most beloved sister" is absolutely unpardonable. Of course, it can be argued whether or not Lizzie is right in saying that Darcy personally and deliberately ended her sister's happiness for the rest of her life, but the message is clear. Happiness is something that Lizzie's sister deserves and inherently has, and when someone else or something else impedes on this happiness, that is a serious crime against her and her family. Later on, we even see Darcy agreeing that this accusation, if it actually was true, would be a valid and terrible one, in his letter explaining himself. In general, the idea that is still in place today of "the right to happiness" comes out very clearly in this moment in Pride and Prejudice.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Literature and Mind Post 13: Theory of Mind and Pride and Prejudice
" 'Don't keep coughing so, Kitty, for heaven's sake! Have a little compassion on my nerves. You tear them to pieces.'
'Kitty has no discretion in her coughs,' said her father; 'she times them ill.'
'I do not cough for my own amusement,' replied Kitty fretfully."
(Pride and Prejudice p. 46)
"In spite of the way it sounds, mind-reading has nothing to do with plain old telepathy. Instead, it is a term used by cognitive psychologists interchangeably with "Theory of Mind," to describe our ability to explain people's behavior in terms of their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and desires. Thus we engage in mind-reading when we ascribe to a person a certain mental state on the basis of her observable action..." (Zunshine, Why We Read Fiction, p. 6)
Paper Update:
I took your suggestion of looking for connections about obsession within The Female Quixote itself and have started to notice a few things that may be interesting to look into in the context of the other information I have found. For instance, it seems like there is a sort of narcissism that Arabella carries, as shown by all the demands she makes of others and the stake she believes she holds in others lives. For instance, she thinks her lovers will do something drastic to themselves because they have fallen out of her favor. I'll have to look closer at my quotes to see, but this could either be a trait that she had before the romances came into her life, or part of the construction that comes after them. It would be interesting to see if this is all part of that self-objectification, or if it actually fights against that a little bit. Also, the book constantly brings up how intelligent she is, so could this be linked to some of the dialogue related to "genius" that comes from absorption? It could be interesting to add this in as a contrast to make my argument that what is being presented in the book is actually the 18th century concept of obsession. I also think the transition you noted about the romance novels being the objects, and then Arabella becoming the object through her obsession will definitely be something to explore more in depth within the scheme of my essay.
'Kitty has no discretion in her coughs,' said her father; 'she times them ill.'
'I do not cough for my own amusement,' replied Kitty fretfully."
(Pride and Prejudice p. 46)
"In spite of the way it sounds, mind-reading has nothing to do with plain old telepathy. Instead, it is a term used by cognitive psychologists interchangeably with "Theory of Mind," to describe our ability to explain people's behavior in terms of their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and desires. Thus we engage in mind-reading when we ascribe to a person a certain mental state on the basis of her observable action..." (Zunshine, Why We Read Fiction, p. 6)
Paper Update:
I took your suggestion of looking for connections about obsession within The Female Quixote itself and have started to notice a few things that may be interesting to look into in the context of the other information I have found. For instance, it seems like there is a sort of narcissism that Arabella carries, as shown by all the demands she makes of others and the stake she believes she holds in others lives. For instance, she thinks her lovers will do something drastic to themselves because they have fallen out of her favor. I'll have to look closer at my quotes to see, but this could either be a trait that she had before the romances came into her life, or part of the construction that comes after them. It would be interesting to see if this is all part of that self-objectification, or if it actually fights against that a little bit. Also, the book constantly brings up how intelligent she is, so could this be linked to some of the dialogue related to "genius" that comes from absorption? It could be interesting to add this in as a contrast to make my argument that what is being presented in the book is actually the 18th century concept of obsession. I also think the transition you noted about the romance novels being the objects, and then Arabella becoming the object through her obsession will definitely be something to explore more in depth within the scheme of my essay.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Literature and Mind Post 12: The Love of Cats and Madness
Although in modern day insanity is defined as a mental illness, there is still the cultural prevalence of calling someone "crazy," which seems directly linked to the eighteenth century construction of madness (even though it won't land a person in the asylum anymore). Looking at the poem 'my Cat Jeoffry' by Christopher Smith, how might the reading of this poem have changed based on cultural constructions in the eighteenth century and now?
"For by stroaking of him him I have found out electricity.
For I perceived God's light about him both wax and fire.
For the Electrical fire is the spiritual substance, which God sends from heaven to
sustain the bodies both of man and beast." ('my Cat Jeoffry')
"Madness for much of the eighteenth century, as in the pages of The Spectator, found itself in the free market: when being mad is subject only to the eye of the spectator, definition is a matter of infinite free play, a concept with no more, and no less, meaning than a sufficient multitude wishes it to mean, yet with the full backing of the law behind it, and beyond the law the welcoming arms of the asylum." ('The Madness of a Multitude' 88).
In the biography given for Christopher Smith, Jubilate Agno, which is where this ode to his cat Jeoffry comes from, did not even become recognized until the twentieth century, most likely due to dismissal based on his reputation of madness (which was defined by other people in the eighteenth century). Now it can be seen as an example of an "authentic voice" and a "primal experience." Within the culture he lived in, it may have seemed preposterous to call an animal a follower of God in the way he does, almost calling his cat his equal. At this time, the reason for him being in the asylum would have been given by the "spectator" rather than the person experiencing the proposed insanity. Even today the "spectator" is able to judge whether or no someone is "crazy." It is a very common term that is thrown about in everyday conversation, but it does not mean that the person thinks the other person should be in an asylum anymore.
That being said, looking at this poem from a modern perspective (or more specifically, my perspective) this poem just seems to show the companionship and comfort that Christopher has found in his pet within the construct of his religion. I can't imagine that the asylum was a very comfortable or supportive place, given that madness was about what everyone else thought and their discomfort. When a person has no one else, I think that physical contact of "stroaking" your cat could have almost divine powers. It certainly has healing powers. Now that we understand more about mental illness in general and have a more empathetic view based on the suffering of the person, it is possible to look at this poem with this framework. Also, even on a cultural level, I think many people would be less prone to say he needs to be hospitalized if based on this work alone, as shown by all the internet trends of "Grumpy Cat" and the like.
"For by stroaking of him him I have found out electricity.
For I perceived God's light about him both wax and fire.
For the Electrical fire is the spiritual substance, which God sends from heaven to
sustain the bodies both of man and beast." ('my Cat Jeoffry')
"Madness for much of the eighteenth century, as in the pages of The Spectator, found itself in the free market: when being mad is subject only to the eye of the spectator, definition is a matter of infinite free play, a concept with no more, and no less, meaning than a sufficient multitude wishes it to mean, yet with the full backing of the law behind it, and beyond the law the welcoming arms of the asylum." ('The Madness of a Multitude' 88).
In the biography given for Christopher Smith, Jubilate Agno, which is where this ode to his cat Jeoffry comes from, did not even become recognized until the twentieth century, most likely due to dismissal based on his reputation of madness (which was defined by other people in the eighteenth century). Now it can be seen as an example of an "authentic voice" and a "primal experience." Within the culture he lived in, it may have seemed preposterous to call an animal a follower of God in the way he does, almost calling his cat his equal. At this time, the reason for him being in the asylum would have been given by the "spectator" rather than the person experiencing the proposed insanity. Even today the "spectator" is able to judge whether or no someone is "crazy." It is a very common term that is thrown about in everyday conversation, but it does not mean that the person thinks the other person should be in an asylum anymore.
That being said, looking at this poem from a modern perspective (or more specifically, my perspective) this poem just seems to show the companionship and comfort that Christopher has found in his pet within the construct of his religion. I can't imagine that the asylum was a very comfortable or supportive place, given that madness was about what everyone else thought and their discomfort. When a person has no one else, I think that physical contact of "stroaking" your cat could have almost divine powers. It certainly has healing powers. Now that we understand more about mental illness in general and have a more empathetic view based on the suffering of the person, it is possible to look at this poem with this framework. Also, even on a cultural level, I think many people would be less prone to say he needs to be hospitalized if based on this work alone, as shown by all the internet trends of "Grumpy Cat" and the like.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Final Research Paper Proposal
Thesis: Charlotte Lennox’s The Female Quixote demonstrates the
dangerous line between absorption and obsession that can be crossed by the
power that literature was thought to have throughout the eighteenth century.
The character Arabella meets more of the criteria for the eighteenth century
concept of “obsession” than absorption, as shown by her self-objectification, and
the manner in which her thoughts and words are decrees through words of command
and of high and low status. Furthermore, there is the historical difference
between the positive connotation of absorption and the negative association
with obsession which make Arabella’s singular focus lean towards obsession.
Example Paragraph: (corresponds to e. and f. of part IV)
One
of the major characteristics of an obsession that Van Zuylen discusses in Monomania is the consequent
depersonalization of the person suffering from the obsession (or, in eighteenth
century terms, suffering because of that obsession). The author asserts that “at
the heart of their most personal idée fixe lies the hungry hankering for
impersonality” (7). “Impersonality” itself could mean actually replacing the “self”
with whatever the obsession is. Arabella seems to go through this very process
in The Female Quixote. As shown in
the quote in which she reproaches Glanville for expressing his affection for
her, she refers to women (and herself) as a “divine Object” that “causes”
affection. This is a very apparent
example of Arabella’s self-objectification, which demonstrates how she does not
consider herself anything but a tool in the development of a romance (as
classified by the group of novels she has read.) She does not even refer to
herself as “I” or “me,” but rather classifies herself as one of many heroines,
therefore rendering her view of the world completely impersonal.
Outline
I. Introduction
a.
Establish Modern vs 18th Century OED Definition of Obsession/Absorption
(not very in-depth)
b. Thesis
II. The Power of Literature in the 18th Century
(This might go into the introduction)
a.
The Pleasures of the Imagination: “But the greatest and purest pleasures were
those of the imagination, feelings provoked by imaginative literature and the
fine arts… Dr. Johnson took a similar view: ‘Works of imagination excel by
their allurements and delight; by their power of attracting and detaining the
attention.’ Works of art were of enormous importance because of their
persuasive power. Used wisely they could teach people to follow the path of
virtuous sociability; used wrongly they might cause irreparable damage” (105-6)
(I will probably use chunks of this; I’m just not sure what to cut out yet).
b.
Connect to Arabella/Quixote quote? : “Her
Ideas, from the Manner of her Life, and the Objects around her, had taken a
romantic Turn; and, supposing Romances were real Pictures of Life, from them
she drew all her Notions of Expectations…”(7)
III. Obsession vs. Absorption
a. OED
about Obsession
b.
Metaphors of Mind about Absorption
c.
Connect to quote above (“Her Ideas…”)
d. Incorporate: “Her
Mind being wholly filled with the most extravagant Expectations, she was alarmed
by every trifling Incident; and kept in a continual Anxiety by a Vicissitude of
Hopes, Fears, Wishes, and Disappointments…”(8)
e. Use these two quotes to
establish the lean towards obsession
IV. Monomania and Obsession in The Female Quixote
a.
Establish obsession as reconstruction of world from Monomania: “Each one of its enactments is part of an abstract,
autonomous desire to reorganize the world according to a long-lost model of
wholeness.”
b. Connect
back to the quotes shown above
c.Obsession
gives sense of agency according to Monomania:
“The idée fixe is an infinite source of comfort; not only does it provide
unshakable boundaries, but it lures the subject into a sense of agency.”
d.
Show the kind of decrees that Arabella uses-give her boundaries, establishes
distance between her (high) and Glanville (low). Actually the “laws” are
speaking through her in a way. “What a horrid Violation this, of all the Laws
of Gallantry and Respect, which decree a Lover to suffer whole Years in Silence
before he declares his Flame to the divine Object that Causes it; and then with
Awful Tremblings, and submissive Prostrating at the Feet of the offended Fair”
e. Impersonality from Monomania: “At the heart of their most
personal idée fixe lies the hungry
hankering for impersonality…”
f. Show Arabella’s
self-objectification: “What a horrid Violation this, of all the Laws of
Gallantry and Respect, which decree a Lover to suffer whole Years in Silence
before he declares his Flame to the
divine Object that Causes it; and then with Awful Tremblings, and submissive
Prostrating at the Feet of the offended Fair!” (32) (Maybe one of the speeches directly
from one of the novels)
g.
Obsession=need for submission to authority according to Monomania: “What all of these extremists share is a fear of
freedom, of openness, and an overpowering need to surrender to something that
will stand in for authority.”
h.
Connect to quote above or use moment when Arabella tries to swim across Thames:
“Fortune, which has thrown us into this Exigence, presents us the Means of
gloriously escaping…” (363)
V. Positive Connotation of ”Absorption” vs. Negative with “Obsession”
a. “Absorption”
associated many times with “genius” and “imagination” (Metaphors of Mind)
b. Etymology
of “Obsession” (changing in 18th century from demon possession to
this
influence that troubles/fills the mind. Either way not good.)
c. Bring
in quote from The Female Quixote from
the end scene with the doctor where Arabella is
shown the error of her ways.
VI. Conclusion
Monday, November 4, 2013
Literature and Mind Post 10: The Expression of Anger
Looking at these two contradictory passages which describe the best way to portray one's feelings (specifically of frustration or anger), does elegance of language confuse the truths one is trying to portray, or does it allow them to be more clearly stated?
"Animated by this important object, I shall disdain to cull my phrases or polish my style;-I aim at being useful, and sincerity will render me unaffected; for, wishing rather to persuade by the force of my arguments, than dazzle by the elegance of my language, I shall not waste my time in rounding periods, or in fabricating the turgid bombast of artificial feelings, which, coming from the head, never reach the heart" (Selections from Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman 260).
"Horace can laugh, is delicate, is clear;
You, only coarsely rail, or darkly sneer;
His Style is elegant, his Diction pure,
Whilst none they crabbed Numbers can endure;
Hard as thy Heart, and as thy Birth obscure." (Verses Address'd to the Imitator of Horace 16-20)
These two quotes simply interested me because they gave two completely different ideas of what the relationship between conveying truth and one's emotions are. Wollstonecraft seems to argue that if emotions are allowed to flow freely through one's writing, as she intends to do, the truth and force of her arguments will be stronger. If she tried to make her arguments "sound pretty," then the ideas would become convoluted. This is very different than the passage from the anonymous poem shown above. The author praises the control of emotions that Horace has and Horace's ability to make his anger seem delicate and clear. The "Imitator," on the other hand has definitely let his anger get the best of him and is "coarse" in his language, which is shown as inferior to Horace's style by the use of the word "only."
"Animated by this important object, I shall disdain to cull my phrases or polish my style;-I aim at being useful, and sincerity will render me unaffected; for, wishing rather to persuade by the force of my arguments, than dazzle by the elegance of my language, I shall not waste my time in rounding periods, or in fabricating the turgid bombast of artificial feelings, which, coming from the head, never reach the heart" (Selections from Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman 260).
"Horace can laugh, is delicate, is clear;
You, only coarsely rail, or darkly sneer;
His Style is elegant, his Diction pure,
Whilst none they crabbed Numbers can endure;
Hard as thy Heart, and as thy Birth obscure." (Verses Address'd to the Imitator of Horace 16-20)
These two quotes simply interested me because they gave two completely different ideas of what the relationship between conveying truth and one's emotions are. Wollstonecraft seems to argue that if emotions are allowed to flow freely through one's writing, as she intends to do, the truth and force of her arguments will be stronger. If she tried to make her arguments "sound pretty," then the ideas would become convoluted. This is very different than the passage from the anonymous poem shown above. The author praises the control of emotions that Horace has and Horace's ability to make his anger seem delicate and clear. The "Imitator," on the other hand has definitely let his anger get the best of him and is "coarse" in his language, which is shown as inferior to Horace's style by the use of the word "only."
Monday, October 28, 2013
Literature and MInd Post 9: Boredom and The Rambler
Although in a humorous and perhaps satirical way, can Euphelia's problems from this issue of The Rambler demonstrate this transition that Spacks discusses in Boredom?
"Thus I am condemned to solitude; the day moves slowly forward, and I see the dawn with uneasiness, because I consider that night is at a great distance. I have tried to sleep by a brook, but find its murmurs ineffectual; so that I am forced to be awake at least twelve hours, without visits, without cards, without laughter, and without flattery. I walk because I am disgusted with sitting still, and sit down because I am weary with walking...I am thus weary of myself that the current of youth stagnates, and that I am languishing in a dead calm, for want of some external impulse" (The Rambler No. 42).
"Early discourse about methods of occupying time suggests that the problem of leisure not only provides alternative ways of talking about boredom, it constitutes one of the causes for the new concern with boredom itself as a problem. By the nineteenth century, however, the notion that satiety, weariness, disgust, chagrin, ennui-inability to enjoy leisure-reflect internal inadequacy appears to yield largely to belief that such unpleasant states will dissolve given adequate eternal stimulation" (Spacks 18).
By looking at these two passages, one can see some great similarities between the two. For instance, there is the use of "disgust" associated with the "inability to enjoy leisure" found in both, and both refer to weariness, as Euphelia is in fact "languishing in a dead calm." Also, boredom is shown as a problem in both quotes. The poor girl who writes this letter in The Rambler is talking as if she is a prisoner, in a way "condemned" too this boredom. She does not talk of it as if there is something she can do about it. Finally, Euphelia attributes all her suffering to the "want of some external impulse," which are shown as a remedy for this "unpleasant state" in Spacks. What is truly interesting is that Euphelia is talking about this boredom in the way that Spacks argues to occur more in the nineteenth century. This issue of The Rambler is from 1750, and therefore the ideas are 50 years before their designated time period.
Perhaps the reader can take this as blatant evidence of the transition period between thinking of boredom as evidence of "internal inadequacy" and as the lack of "external stimulation." Euphelia is showing one of the two combating ideas that were most likely bouncing around at during the eighteenth century. The humorous nature of the letter seems to suggest that the issue of no "external impulses" to be found is one that is being satirized. Either way, it proves that this kind of thinking, whether looked down upon or not, was around at this time. The reader can see what Spacks is describing in her work occurring right before his or her very own eyes.
"Thus I am condemned to solitude; the day moves slowly forward, and I see the dawn with uneasiness, because I consider that night is at a great distance. I have tried to sleep by a brook, but find its murmurs ineffectual; so that I am forced to be awake at least twelve hours, without visits, without cards, without laughter, and without flattery. I walk because I am disgusted with sitting still, and sit down because I am weary with walking...I am thus weary of myself that the current of youth stagnates, and that I am languishing in a dead calm, for want of some external impulse" (The Rambler No. 42).
"Early discourse about methods of occupying time suggests that the problem of leisure not only provides alternative ways of talking about boredom, it constitutes one of the causes for the new concern with boredom itself as a problem. By the nineteenth century, however, the notion that satiety, weariness, disgust, chagrin, ennui-inability to enjoy leisure-reflect internal inadequacy appears to yield largely to belief that such unpleasant states will dissolve given adequate eternal stimulation" (Spacks 18).
By looking at these two passages, one can see some great similarities between the two. For instance, there is the use of "disgust" associated with the "inability to enjoy leisure" found in both, and both refer to weariness, as Euphelia is in fact "languishing in a dead calm." Also, boredom is shown as a problem in both quotes. The poor girl who writes this letter in The Rambler is talking as if she is a prisoner, in a way "condemned" too this boredom. She does not talk of it as if there is something she can do about it. Finally, Euphelia attributes all her suffering to the "want of some external impulse," which are shown as a remedy for this "unpleasant state" in Spacks. What is truly interesting is that Euphelia is talking about this boredom in the way that Spacks argues to occur more in the nineteenth century. This issue of The Rambler is from 1750, and therefore the ideas are 50 years before their designated time period.
Perhaps the reader can take this as blatant evidence of the transition period between thinking of boredom as evidence of "internal inadequacy" and as the lack of "external stimulation." Euphelia is showing one of the two combating ideas that were most likely bouncing around at during the eighteenth century. The humorous nature of the letter seems to suggest that the issue of no "external impulses" to be found is one that is being satirized. Either way, it proves that this kind of thinking, whether looked down upon or not, was around at this time. The reader can see what Spacks is describing in her work occurring right before his or her very own eyes.
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