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.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Literature and Mind Post 8: Tristram Shandy and "the Eye of the Mind"
Is Mr. Shandy in this passage from Tristram Shandy suggesting that not only is the information that has been stored in one's memory made up of visual images, but also ideas in general?
"For if you will turn your eyes inwards upon your mind...and observe attentively, you will perceive, brother, that whilst you and I are talking together, and thinking and smoaking our pipes: or whilst we receive successively ideas in our minds, we know that we do exist...Now, whether we observe it or no, continued my father, in every sound man's head, there is a regular succession of ideas of one sort or another which follow each other in a train...which follow and succeed one another in our minds at certain distances, just like the images in the inside of a lanthorn turned round by the heat of a candle"
(Tristram Shandy 138-139).
"The sources of what is in memory are diverse, but what happens to an impression or an idea once it gets into the brain is a single process resulting in the production of a phantasm that can be seen and scanned by 'the eye of the mind.' This sort of language is constant and pervasive in writings on the subject from the earliest times" (Carruthers 19)
In the quote shown above, Carruthers discusses the concept that has been around for a very long time about the "mind's eye." Even in conversation today this is brought up. What was different earlier on was that memory comes from a "single process" that is stored as a "phantasm" or a reproduction/image of the idea. It is purely visual, without accounting for all of the other sensory input that may have contributed, such as auditory. In this model of memory, even something simple such as a laugh would only be represented as an image, without any sort of sound to recall. It also does not allow for many ideas or processes happening at once, which is something that the brain is known to do now. Even though this concept does not seem like the most rational view to have in today's world, one can see evidence of its pervasiveness in earlier periods such as the 18th century through literature. The moment shown above from Sterne's Tristram Shandy is a great example of this.
In this scene, Mr. Shandy is trying to show how one can understand time and one's own existence to Uncle Toby. He uses again this imagery of looking in on the mind, as if the mind has its own eyes. He also seems to believe that the mind goes through one process at a time-each idea follows calmly after the other in a specific order like a train. He then goes on to equate ideas to "images in the inside of a lanthorn," which could suggest that he believes that ideas are purely visual, as well. Mr. Shandy is applying the visual, single-process model of the memory to ideas that enter the mind in general in this moment. It is also interesting that he suggests that people are capable of observing all the ideas that enter their brains and see that it is calm, orderly, and that they are able to comprehend all that is going on. This makes the mind seem like a very, very simple organ. On the other hand, the narration techniques that Sterne employs throughout this entire novel seem to negate this mentality. There are constant digressions, and sometimes the narrator even admits that he has forgotten to mention something or that he cannot follow his thoughts quickly enough.
"For if you will turn your eyes inwards upon your mind...and observe attentively, you will perceive, brother, that whilst you and I are talking together, and thinking and smoaking our pipes: or whilst we receive successively ideas in our minds, we know that we do exist...Now, whether we observe it or no, continued my father, in every sound man's head, there is a regular succession of ideas of one sort or another which follow each other in a train...which follow and succeed one another in our minds at certain distances, just like the images in the inside of a lanthorn turned round by the heat of a candle"
(Tristram Shandy 138-139).
"The sources of what is in memory are diverse, but what happens to an impression or an idea once it gets into the brain is a single process resulting in the production of a phantasm that can be seen and scanned by 'the eye of the mind.' This sort of language is constant and pervasive in writings on the subject from the earliest times" (Carruthers 19)
In the quote shown above, Carruthers discusses the concept that has been around for a very long time about the "mind's eye." Even in conversation today this is brought up. What was different earlier on was that memory comes from a "single process" that is stored as a "phantasm" or a reproduction/image of the idea. It is purely visual, without accounting for all of the other sensory input that may have contributed, such as auditory. In this model of memory, even something simple such as a laugh would only be represented as an image, without any sort of sound to recall. It also does not allow for many ideas or processes happening at once, which is something that the brain is known to do now. Even though this concept does not seem like the most rational view to have in today's world, one can see evidence of its pervasiveness in earlier periods such as the 18th century through literature. The moment shown above from Sterne's Tristram Shandy is a great example of this.
In this scene, Mr. Shandy is trying to show how one can understand time and one's own existence to Uncle Toby. He uses again this imagery of looking in on the mind, as if the mind has its own eyes. He also seems to believe that the mind goes through one process at a time-each idea follows calmly after the other in a specific order like a train. He then goes on to equate ideas to "images in the inside of a lanthorn," which could suggest that he believes that ideas are purely visual, as well. Mr. Shandy is applying the visual, single-process model of the memory to ideas that enter the mind in general in this moment. It is also interesting that he suggests that people are capable of observing all the ideas that enter their brains and see that it is calm, orderly, and that they are able to comprehend all that is going on. This makes the mind seem like a very, very simple organ. On the other hand, the narration techniques that Sterne employs throughout this entire novel seem to negate this mentality. There are constant digressions, and sometimes the narrator even admits that he has forgotten to mention something or that he cannot follow his thoughts quickly enough.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Literature and Mind Honors Post #2: Travel and Tristram Shandy
Given the understanding of coach travel that readers of Sterne's time could have had, are there ways in which the coach ride itself is adding to the "vexation" of Mr. and Mrs. Shandy in different ways?
"From Stilton, all the way to Grantham, nothing in the whole affair provoked him so much as the condolences of his friends, and the foolish figure they should both make at church the first Sunday;-of which, in the satirical vehemence of his wit, now sharpen'd a little by vexation, he would give so many humorous and provoking descriptions,-and place his rib and self in so many tormenting lights and attitudes in the face of the whole congregation;-that my mother declared, these two stages were so truly tragi-comical, that she did nothing but laugh and cry in a breath, from one end to the other of them all the way. " (Tristram Shandy 75)
"Although coach travel would have provided some protection from the irritations of the street, it was far from ideal, and not always the most comfortable option. Passengers in coaches would be "cruelly shaken" by the ruts and pot-holes, and travel unsteadily along the narrow lanes...Conversation in coaches could be awkward, stilted and frustrating. Crammed up close to strangers while being joggled about along the rutted tracks was some people's idea of a nightmare (Cockayne 179).
Within this scene from Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy, the reader witnesses Tristram's father getting increasingly upset during a coach ride in which he had to go retrieve his wife from London (a place he hates). Also, it is hinted that she miscarried, so this is most likely the reason since she prefers to "lye-in" in London. During his antics, Mrs. Shandy becomes increasingly upset, but amused because his behavior is so ridiculous. In a coach that has many strangers he gives "so many humorous and provoking descriptions" of how silly they will look at church. He is being extremely confrontational in front of people that do not know him or his wife or have any interest in his angry ramblings.
This situation alone is enough to make a long coach ride from London to their country home very uncomfortable and vexing, but on top of this Cockayne adds some other problems that apply most likely not only to urban areas but to roads leading to the country. The combination of the coach and the poor state of the roads leads to a very bumpy, jarring ride for those traveling in it, sometimes dangerously so. Also, the passengers are often "crammed up close to strangers." This is never a pleasant experience, and the conversation is usually awkward, so probably it is better to avoid it when possible. Mr. Shandy does not pick up on this and decides to talk as much as he pleases about what is making him mad. He is adding to the discomfort that is already there simply by riding in a coach. No wonder his wife is amused, upset, and embarrassed by him. Also, the coach ride probably agitated Mr. Shandy even more by adding all of these natural implications of the journey and the discomfort they bring to his disappointment, anger, and the like. People during Sterne's probably time knew how vexing a coach ride itself could be, and they could pick up on the humor of this situation and sympathize at the same time in a way we modern readers perhaps cannot without background knowledge.
"From Stilton, all the way to Grantham, nothing in the whole affair provoked him so much as the condolences of his friends, and the foolish figure they should both make at church the first Sunday;-of which, in the satirical vehemence of his wit, now sharpen'd a little by vexation, he would give so many humorous and provoking descriptions,-and place his rib and self in so many tormenting lights and attitudes in the face of the whole congregation;-that my mother declared, these two stages were so truly tragi-comical, that she did nothing but laugh and cry in a breath, from one end to the other of them all the way. " (Tristram Shandy 75)
"Although coach travel would have provided some protection from the irritations of the street, it was far from ideal, and not always the most comfortable option. Passengers in coaches would be "cruelly shaken" by the ruts and pot-holes, and travel unsteadily along the narrow lanes...Conversation in coaches could be awkward, stilted and frustrating. Crammed up close to strangers while being joggled about along the rutted tracks was some people's idea of a nightmare (Cockayne 179).
Within this scene from Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy, the reader witnesses Tristram's father getting increasingly upset during a coach ride in which he had to go retrieve his wife from London (a place he hates). Also, it is hinted that she miscarried, so this is most likely the reason since she prefers to "lye-in" in London. During his antics, Mrs. Shandy becomes increasingly upset, but amused because his behavior is so ridiculous. In a coach that has many strangers he gives "so many humorous and provoking descriptions" of how silly they will look at church. He is being extremely confrontational in front of people that do not know him or his wife or have any interest in his angry ramblings.
This situation alone is enough to make a long coach ride from London to their country home very uncomfortable and vexing, but on top of this Cockayne adds some other problems that apply most likely not only to urban areas but to roads leading to the country. The combination of the coach and the poor state of the roads leads to a very bumpy, jarring ride for those traveling in it, sometimes dangerously so. Also, the passengers are often "crammed up close to strangers." This is never a pleasant experience, and the conversation is usually awkward, so probably it is better to avoid it when possible. Mr. Shandy does not pick up on this and decides to talk as much as he pleases about what is making him mad. He is adding to the discomfort that is already there simply by riding in a coach. No wonder his wife is amused, upset, and embarrassed by him. Also, the coach ride probably agitated Mr. Shandy even more by adding all of these natural implications of the journey and the discomfort they bring to his disappointment, anger, and the like. People during Sterne's probably time knew how vexing a coach ride itself could be, and they could pick up on the humor of this situation and sympathize at the same time in a way we modern readers perhaps cannot without background knowledge.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Literature and Mind Post 7: Disgust and Tristam Shandy
Does class play a role in how prone someone is to being disgusted? What kind of evidence is there for this in Sterne's Tristam Shandy?
"-not but the planet is well enough, provided a man could be born in it to a great title or to a great estate; or could any how contrive to be called up to publick charges, and employments of dignity or power; -but that is not my case; - and therefore every man will speak of the fair as his own market has gone in it; -for which cause I affirm it over again to be one of the vilest worlds that ever was made..." (Tristam Shandy 6).
" 'Disgust' according to William Ian Miller, the author of The Anatomy of Disgust (1997), 'paints the world in a particular way, a distinctly misanthropic and melancholic way.' Inevitably, the people who left the most fulsome comments about such things were the curmudgeons or the grouches. Some people were more liable to be upset or disgusted than others" (Cockayne 1).
In Chapter 1, "The City in a Hubbub," the fact that this book will focus on the most disgusting parts of 18th century life in England is laid-out for the reader. That being said, the concept of disgust itself must be described and established, as shown above. According to this definition, the more someone is defined as grouchy, the more likely he or she is to be disgusted about life. Being disgusted leads one to see the world in a very melancholy way. In this way, the author lays out what disgust is and how it works, but does not quite go into the "why" of it all. Only the results and the traits of disgust are shown. Why are some people "more liable to be upset or disgusted than others?"
In his novel Tristam Shandy, Sterne offers up one answer for the cause of someone's likeliness to feel disgust towards the world. Tristam himself is disgusted by the world he lives in. He calls it a "scurvy and disastrous" place (5). This alone could perhaps show more contempt or condemnation of the world, but then he goes on to call it "vile" two times. Vileness is definitely associated with disgust because both words are associated with a sort of gut-churning sensation. He then goes on to say he may not have felt this way if he had been born into a better life-situation or class, but since he was born where he was, he had to think it was vile ("every man will speak of the fair as his own market has gone it"). From the beginning of the story, the reader sees a melancholy turn in the way Tristam narrates his own life and stories he has learned, which is due to this disgust he holds for the world. He himself claims that it is his class that has led him to this feeling and belief he has about the world. This is most likely not the only reason for why some are more likely to feel disgust, but it is a definite one, according to this text.
"-not but the planet is well enough, provided a man could be born in it to a great title or to a great estate; or could any how contrive to be called up to publick charges, and employments of dignity or power; -but that is not my case; - and therefore every man will speak of the fair as his own market has gone in it; -for which cause I affirm it over again to be one of the vilest worlds that ever was made..." (Tristam Shandy 6).
" 'Disgust' according to William Ian Miller, the author of The Anatomy of Disgust (1997), 'paints the world in a particular way, a distinctly misanthropic and melancholic way.' Inevitably, the people who left the most fulsome comments about such things were the curmudgeons or the grouches. Some people were more liable to be upset or disgusted than others" (Cockayne 1).
In Chapter 1, "The City in a Hubbub," the fact that this book will focus on the most disgusting parts of 18th century life in England is laid-out for the reader. That being said, the concept of disgust itself must be described and established, as shown above. According to this definition, the more someone is defined as grouchy, the more likely he or she is to be disgusted about life. Being disgusted leads one to see the world in a very melancholy way. In this way, the author lays out what disgust is and how it works, but does not quite go into the "why" of it all. Only the results and the traits of disgust are shown. Why are some people "more liable to be upset or disgusted than others?"
In his novel Tristam Shandy, Sterne offers up one answer for the cause of someone's likeliness to feel disgust towards the world. Tristam himself is disgusted by the world he lives in. He calls it a "scurvy and disastrous" place (5). This alone could perhaps show more contempt or condemnation of the world, but then he goes on to call it "vile" two times. Vileness is definitely associated with disgust because both words are associated with a sort of gut-churning sensation. He then goes on to say he may not have felt this way if he had been born into a better life-situation or class, but since he was born where he was, he had to think it was vile ("every man will speak of the fair as his own market has gone it"). From the beginning of the story, the reader sees a melancholy turn in the way Tristam narrates his own life and stories he has learned, which is due to this disgust he holds for the world. He himself claims that it is his class that has led him to this feeling and belief he has about the world. This is most likely not the only reason for why some are more likely to feel disgust, but it is a definite one, according to this text.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Literature and Mind Honors Post #1: Fiction and the Scientific Hypothesis in the 18th Century
In what ways is Lennox's The Female Quixote demonstrating Bender's concept of "possible" but "verisimilar" with "imaginative or speculative" truth? How does the novel in general demonstrate the methods of scientific discourse and have the ability to spur similar discourse?
"Yet I will not pardon you, added she, without enjoining you with a Penance for the Fault you own you have committed; and this Penance shall be to prove,
First, That these Histories you condemn are Fictions.
Next, That they are absurd.
And Lastly, That they are Criminal" (The Female Quixote 374).
"For against the backdrop of a commitment shared by the two realms to the system of verisimilitude, the novel began to ground science's claim to be non-fiction by becoming increasingly the domain of manifest through probable fictionality. Then, in a doubly paradoxical twist at midcentury, as I propose, the move toward verisimilar yet "possible" fiction that occurred with Lennox, Sterne, and Walpole participated (relationally, not causally) in a turn toward the more imaginative or speculative variant of "truth" advocated by Diderot and Buffon" (Bender 20).
Within Bender's essay, "Enlightenment Fiction and the Scientific Hypothesis," the author is discussion the move within the scientific community toward public discourse and consensus, and the use of hypotheses and induction in order to come up with new concepts. Many were condemned for using hypotheses because they could be considered "fictional," but as actually works of fiction went on to become less objective and more subjective, works of non-fiction even with hypotheses became more commonly accepted. The concept of speculative "truth" that was discussed by many such as Buffon, was one that emphasized finding out the "how" and never the "why" of something, and this something had to be a physical truth.
Looking at the quote above from The Female Quixote, where Arabella demands that her doctor give her proof for why she should give up her peculiar code of conduct as shown in romances, the reader sees this kind of truth that is laid-out by Buffon. Arabella is asking how these claims the doctor makes can be true, not why he is making them. The doctor, in turn, is able to convince her using inductive methods based in common knowledge of the world and how it works ("physical truth"). This also is a great example of how such "public discourse" could have happened at the time, and how people went about figuring out what was true and what was not.
Also, Lennox's novel as a whole is a great testament to the ways people thought about hypotheses and truth in general, because many of the discussions that have occurred in class deal exactly with this issue of the "how" of events that occur. Many people have argued that Arabella is having a delusion rather than dealing with obsession, or that Arabella is actually just messing with the minds of the people around her. The way these speculations have been approached have been through the "how" rather than the why because it is "possible" that romances could cloud the mind. It is almost as if in 2013 in this class there is a public "scientific" discourse happening, if using the qualifications set-out in the 18th century.
"Yet I will not pardon you, added she, without enjoining you with a Penance for the Fault you own you have committed; and this Penance shall be to prove,
First, That these Histories you condemn are Fictions.
Next, That they are absurd.
And Lastly, That they are Criminal" (The Female Quixote 374).
"For against the backdrop of a commitment shared by the two realms to the system of verisimilitude, the novel began to ground science's claim to be non-fiction by becoming increasingly the domain of manifest through probable fictionality. Then, in a doubly paradoxical twist at midcentury, as I propose, the move toward verisimilar yet "possible" fiction that occurred with Lennox, Sterne, and Walpole participated (relationally, not causally) in a turn toward the more imaginative or speculative variant of "truth" advocated by Diderot and Buffon" (Bender 20).
Within Bender's essay, "Enlightenment Fiction and the Scientific Hypothesis," the author is discussion the move within the scientific community toward public discourse and consensus, and the use of hypotheses and induction in order to come up with new concepts. Many were condemned for using hypotheses because they could be considered "fictional," but as actually works of fiction went on to become less objective and more subjective, works of non-fiction even with hypotheses became more commonly accepted. The concept of speculative "truth" that was discussed by many such as Buffon, was one that emphasized finding out the "how" and never the "why" of something, and this something had to be a physical truth.
Looking at the quote above from The Female Quixote, where Arabella demands that her doctor give her proof for why she should give up her peculiar code of conduct as shown in romances, the reader sees this kind of truth that is laid-out by Buffon. Arabella is asking how these claims the doctor makes can be true, not why he is making them. The doctor, in turn, is able to convince her using inductive methods based in common knowledge of the world and how it works ("physical truth"). This also is a great example of how such "public discourse" could have happened at the time, and how people went about figuring out what was true and what was not.
Also, Lennox's novel as a whole is a great testament to the ways people thought about hypotheses and truth in general, because many of the discussions that have occurred in class deal exactly with this issue of the "how" of events that occur. Many people have argued that Arabella is having a delusion rather than dealing with obsession, or that Arabella is actually just messing with the minds of the people around her. The way these speculations have been approached have been through the "how" rather than the why because it is "possible" that romances could cloud the mind. It is almost as if in 2013 in this class there is a public "scientific" discourse happening, if using the qualifications set-out in the 18th century.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Literature and Mind Post 6: Absorption and The Female Quixote
What is the difference between Lamb's absorption in books in general in "Detached Thoughts on Books and Reading"and Arabella's obsession with her romances in The Female Quixote? What line has been crossed?
"Arabella. when she had pronounced these Words, blushed excessively, thinking she had said too much: But, not seeing any Signs of extreme Joy in the Face of Glanville, who was silently cursing Cleopatra, and the Authors of those Romances, that had ruined so noble a Mind; and exposed him to perpetual Vexations by the unaccountable Whims they had raised..." (The Female Quixote p.115)
"...I must confess that I dedicate no inconsiderable portion of my time to other people's thoughts. I dream away my life in others' speculations. I love to lose myself in other men's minds. When I am not walking, I am reading; I cannot sit and think. Books think for me." (Lamb)
Within The Female Quixote, the reader sees all the complications that can come from letting "books think for you" in the words of Lamb. Letting herself get lost in the minds of the authors of romances, Arabella has apparently ruined her mind. She cannot see it for herself, but those around her most certainly see it. On the other hand, there is Lamb, who in "Detached Thoughts on Books and Reading" talks lovingly about his own absorption in books. As shown above, he, like Arabella in some ways, likes to immerse his mind in the ideas of other people. He still seems perfectly sane and well-adjusted, unlike the heroine of The Female Quixote, which leads to the question: What is the difference in the approach of immersing oneself in a book between Lamb and Arabella? What makes Arabella become obsessed and unable to function with in the society in her day, whereas it seems that Lamb has not made that jump to obsession?
One difference could be how specific the focal point of the absorption is. Arabella is focused on a very specific genre of books, and only those that are already in her library. This means a more narrow flow of ideas that probably have similarities throughout all of them. On the other hand, Lamb is talking about books in general. He reads a variety of things with a variety of points of view. It seems that Lamb by saying he "dedicates time" to others' minds, that he is immersed in the thoughts only while he is actively reading the book, rather than being immersed in the thoughts forever and ever. Perhaps by these two examples, the line between absorption and obsession is not one that is crossed while reading. It happens after one puts the book down. If the book "thinks for" a person even after they are done reading it, such as Arabella, this is when the obsession kicks in.
"Arabella. when she had pronounced these Words, blushed excessively, thinking she had said too much: But, not seeing any Signs of extreme Joy in the Face of Glanville, who was silently cursing Cleopatra, and the Authors of those Romances, that had ruined so noble a Mind; and exposed him to perpetual Vexations by the unaccountable Whims they had raised..." (The Female Quixote p.115)
"...I must confess that I dedicate no inconsiderable portion of my time to other people's thoughts. I dream away my life in others' speculations. I love to lose myself in other men's minds. When I am not walking, I am reading; I cannot sit and think. Books think for me." (Lamb)
Within The Female Quixote, the reader sees all the complications that can come from letting "books think for you" in the words of Lamb. Letting herself get lost in the minds of the authors of romances, Arabella has apparently ruined her mind. She cannot see it for herself, but those around her most certainly see it. On the other hand, there is Lamb, who in "Detached Thoughts on Books and Reading" talks lovingly about his own absorption in books. As shown above, he, like Arabella in some ways, likes to immerse his mind in the ideas of other people. He still seems perfectly sane and well-adjusted, unlike the heroine of The Female Quixote, which leads to the question: What is the difference in the approach of immersing oneself in a book between Lamb and Arabella? What makes Arabella become obsessed and unable to function with in the society in her day, whereas it seems that Lamb has not made that jump to obsession?
One difference could be how specific the focal point of the absorption is. Arabella is focused on a very specific genre of books, and only those that are already in her library. This means a more narrow flow of ideas that probably have similarities throughout all of them. On the other hand, Lamb is talking about books in general. He reads a variety of things with a variety of points of view. It seems that Lamb by saying he "dedicates time" to others' minds, that he is immersed in the thoughts only while he is actively reading the book, rather than being immersed in the thoughts forever and ever. Perhaps by these two examples, the line between absorption and obsession is not one that is crossed while reading. It happens after one puts the book down. If the book "thinks for" a person even after they are done reading it, such as Arabella, this is when the obsession kicks in.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Literature and Mind Post 5: Monomania and The Female Quixote
In The Female Quixote, how does Arabella's obsession with the behavior that goes into love as shown by that of the ancient romances fit into Van Zuylen's definition of monomania?
"Ah for Heaven's sake cousin, interrupted Glanville, endeavouring to stifle a Laugh, do not suffer yourself to be governed by such antiquated Maxims! The World is quite different to what it was in those Days; and the Ladies in this Age would as soon follow the Fashions of the Greek and Roman Ladies, as mimick their Manners; and I believe they would become one as ill as the other.
I am sure, replied Arabella, the World is not more virtuous now than it was in their Days...However, I cannot be persuaded, that Things are as you say, and that when I am a little better acquainted with the World, I shall find as many Persons who resemble Oroondates, Artaxerxes, and the illustrious Lover of Clelia, as those who are like Tiribases, Artaxes, and the presuming and insolent Glanville." (The Female Quixote p. 45)
"While investigating different manifestations of monomania, I discovered that each one of its enactments is part of an abstract, autonomous desire to reorganize the world according to a long-lost model of wholeness...the French Romantic Charles Nodier calls this affliction monomanie reflective, an introspective form of monomania that must turn the world into a personal absolute, an aestheticized version of itself." (Monomania pp.5-6).
Within Charlotte Lennox's The Female Quixote, it seems that Arabella could be categorized as struggling with monomania (specifically that which Nodier describes) in regards to her obsession and belief in the archaic ways in which lovers behaved that she reads about in her romances. She definitely has the space necessary to indulge in such an introspective form, since she lives alone with her women and the Marquis. This does not seem to be the picture of a whole and fulfilled life, which makes it understandable that she would seek her wholeness through romance, but only in the idealized way that has been shown in the books she reads. The rules about love she holds to be true are, in fact, her "personal absolute," which turns out very comical throughout the story. When Glanville attempts to make Arabella face reality and see that nobody else actually follows the rules of decorum that she holds herself and those that interact with her to, she refuses to listen. The reader does see that she finds her life unsatisfying, as she says that "the World is not more virtuous now than it was in their Days," but also sees her blatant denial. She believes that she can go out into the world and find multiple men that will act just like the heroes she holds up to be the best men, but also those that she thinks are villainous. Either way, she believes she will find the world to be what she wants it to be. She has definitely reorganized the world in her mind. Glanville picks up on this and decides he would rather fit the position she has put him in within her mind rather than try to turn her from this obsession.
"Ah for Heaven's sake cousin, interrupted Glanville, endeavouring to stifle a Laugh, do not suffer yourself to be governed by such antiquated Maxims! The World is quite different to what it was in those Days; and the Ladies in this Age would as soon follow the Fashions of the Greek and Roman Ladies, as mimick their Manners; and I believe they would become one as ill as the other.
I am sure, replied Arabella, the World is not more virtuous now than it was in their Days...However, I cannot be persuaded, that Things are as you say, and that when I am a little better acquainted with the World, I shall find as many Persons who resemble Oroondates, Artaxerxes, and the illustrious Lover of Clelia, as those who are like Tiribases, Artaxes, and the presuming and insolent Glanville." (The Female Quixote p. 45)
"While investigating different manifestations of monomania, I discovered that each one of its enactments is part of an abstract, autonomous desire to reorganize the world according to a long-lost model of wholeness...the French Romantic Charles Nodier calls this affliction monomanie reflective, an introspective form of monomania that must turn the world into a personal absolute, an aestheticized version of itself." (Monomania pp.5-6).
Within Charlotte Lennox's The Female Quixote, it seems that Arabella could be categorized as struggling with monomania (specifically that which Nodier describes) in regards to her obsession and belief in the archaic ways in which lovers behaved that she reads about in her romances. She definitely has the space necessary to indulge in such an introspective form, since she lives alone with her women and the Marquis. This does not seem to be the picture of a whole and fulfilled life, which makes it understandable that she would seek her wholeness through romance, but only in the idealized way that has been shown in the books she reads. The rules about love she holds to be true are, in fact, her "personal absolute," which turns out very comical throughout the story. When Glanville attempts to make Arabella face reality and see that nobody else actually follows the rules of decorum that she holds herself and those that interact with her to, she refuses to listen. The reader does see that she finds her life unsatisfying, as she says that "the World is not more virtuous now than it was in their Days," but also sees her blatant denial. She believes that she can go out into the world and find multiple men that will act just like the heroes she holds up to be the best men, but also those that she thinks are villainous. Either way, she believes she will find the world to be what she wants it to be. She has definitely reorganized the world in her mind. Glanville picks up on this and decides he would rather fit the position she has put him in within her mind rather than try to turn her from this obsession.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Post 4: Paper 1 Thesis and Example Paragraph
Thesis: "Throughout this story, much of the
language about states of mind and emotions, specifically curiosity, seem to
generally suggest that the lady is being acted upon by this state of mind and
is not in control of what she does because of the use of the noun form of this
state. On the other hand, some of the language also demonstrates that the
author wants this lady to be held accountable for her actions by the gradual
change of the lady’s actions from “frolicks” to “follies” and references to the emotional and mental
control that she has over herself. In this way, Hayworth sets up a paradoxical
mentality in regards to states of mind like curiosity that seems to maintain the
agency that they apparently have while offering the lady up as a character that
deserves the punishment she receives in the end."
The agency of curiosity, or the way in
which this state along with others acts upon the person rather than being an
attribute of a person at a certain moment, begins from the very start of Fantomina. Looking at prostitutes and
the kind of attention they received from men at the theater “excited a
Curiosity in her to know in what Manner these Creatures were address’d…” (2). Looking
at the way this moment is phrased, it appears that the act of seeing the women and
the curiosity that is initiated are outside of the lady’s realm of control. The
curiosity is an entity in itself, and it perhaps could be seen as dormant
within her, without actually being part of the lady herself, until she looks
upon these other women. The image does not do anything to the lady that then
causes her to have an emotion, but rather directly causes this curiosity to
ignite. Hayworth could have said that the lady “became curious” because of
this, giving the character the agency, but she instead chooses to have her be the
passive recipient of this state of mind.
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