Anthropology and Understanding Cognition

"There is a continuing debate on the extent of our need for language in order to learn about the world and, therefore, its role in forming the conceptual framework for our thought. What is at issue is the extent to which the whole of our cognitive universe is determined by the language and culture within which we are socialized and, therefore, the extent to which all of the thought of an individual is culture-specific" (Palmer 92).

Even though Palmer decides not to delve in to the anthropologist perspective on the important role culture plays on impacting language and cognition, as an anthropology minor I found this to be a particularly critical concept for readers to grasp. Without an understanding of the culture, practices, traditions, and sociology going on within an area during the time-period a particular piece of literature is taking place, a reader has no grounds for interpreting a novel. Satire is not satire without the proper understanding of the current events and norms occurring during that point in history. Having knowledge of the history or the events that prompted the composition of a piece of literature leads to a deeper understanding of and ultimately the ability to interpret a novel.

For example, in Pride and Prejudice, we interpret Mrs. Bennet as being fairly substance-less and entirely obsessed with marrying off each of her daughters. It is comical, and the discourse between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet is meant to be comic relief. Without an understanding of the social norms at this time one's understanding of Mrs. Bennet's character ends there at a very surface level. If we solely were analyzing Mrs. Bennet based on our 21st century discourse we would likely be saying "what the heck this woman is crazy for pawning off her very young daughters to guys with loads of money that they barely know and chastising Elizabeth for not wanting to be with a totally creepy, weird guy she doesn't love." But, with an understanding of the culture, Mrs. Bennet's language and the conclusions she draws after processing events (for example lashing out when Elizabeth refuses to marry Mr. Collins instead of being a supportive, motherly figure) becomes more than just comical, shallow, or self-centered: it becomes an accurate depiction of what mothers during this time-period set-forth to do for their daughters and the capacity at which mothers (women with little power regarding gender relations) had to ensure the best possible future for their daughter. At this point in history women could not go out and earn substantial incomes to pass down to their daughters, but they could help their daughter find the best (wealthiest) husband possible in order to ensure that daughter's prosperity and security.

Examples could be made for virtually any text that understanding the culture and sociology at play when the author is writing or during the time-period the book is taking place is crucial for allowing us to process and understand the cognition of characters.

Happiness?

"Those who say that life is only a combination of misfortunes mean that life itself is a misfortune. If it is a misfortune, then death is happiness."(McMahon 231)

"I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins's character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state."(Austen Chapter 22)

Quotes 11/19

"The man within the breast, the abstract and ideal spectator of our sentiments and conduct, requires often to be awakened and put in mind of his duty, by the presence of the real spectator; and it is always from that spectator, from whom we can expect the least sympathy and indulgence, that we are likely to learn the most complete lesson of self-command" (Smith PE 287).

"Attributing states of mind is the default way by which we construct and navigate our social environment, incorrect though our attributions frequently are" (Zunshine 6).

Madness & Melancholy

"Falsly the mortal part we blame
Of our depress'd and ponderous Frame,
Which till the first degrading Sin
Let thee its dull attendant in,..." (Finch 26-30)

"For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him.
For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way.
For is this done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness.
For then he leaps up to catch the musk, which is the blessing of God upon his prayer." (Smart 2-5)

Anger and Frustration Quotes

“But for this epoch we must wait—wait, perhaps, till kings and nobles, enlightened by reason, and, preferring the real dignity of man to childish state throw off their gaudy hereditary trappings: and if then women do not resign the arbitrary power of beauty—they will prove that they have less mind than man.”

Wollstonecraft, 264

“If none with Vengeance yet thy Crimes pursue,

Or give thy manifold Affronts their due;

If Limbs unbroken, Skin without a Stain,

Unwhipt, unblanketed, unkick’d, unslain;

That wtetched little Carcass you retain:…”

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Line 66-70

Tristram Shandy and John Locke

Question: Does Tristram Shandy’s overall narration agree with Locke’s description of how ideas are associated?

Quote 1: “Some of our ideas have a natural correspondence and connexion one with another: it is the office and excellency of our reason to trace these, and hold them together in that union and correspondence which is founded in their peculiar beings. Besides this, there is another connexion of ideas wholly owing to chance or custom. Ideas that in themselves are not all of kin, come to be so united in some men's minds, that it is very hard to separate them; they always keep in company, and the one no sooner at any time comes into the understanding, but its associate appears with it; and if they are more than two which are thus united, the whole gang, always inseparable, show themselves together.” (Locke)

Quote 2: “For if you will turn your eyes inwards upon your mind, continued my father, and observe attentively, you will perceive, brother, that whilst you and I are talking together, and thinking, and smoking our pipes, or whilst we receive successively ideas in our minds, we know that we do exist, and so we estimate the existence, or the continuation of the existence of ourselves, or any thing else, commensurate to the succession of any ideas in our minds, the duration of ourselves, or any such other thing co-existing with our thinking…” (Sterne)

 In John Locke’s Of the Association of Ideas Locke describes in detail the different ways that ideas can be tied to one another and engrained or lost in one’s memory. The association of ideas can occur either via “a natural correspondence and connexion one with another” or they can be a “connexion of ideas wholly owing to chance or custom” (Locke). Both of these ways for ideas to be associated make sense since similar ideas will naturally bring about one another and things such as mnemonics can be very dissimilar to their targeted meaning yet bring about of flood of ideas. Tristram Shandy’s narration is essentially a stream of consciousness (/unconsciousness? considering he has not been born throughout part of the novel) that digresses due to similar and dissimilar associations of his ideas. Last week we described Tristram as a narrator as extraordinarily distracted, which could still be argued, but after reading Locke’s piece for this week I can also see how it could be argued that Tristram Shandy has a unique association of ideas that do not necessarily have to relate in the reader’s mind or with the order in which they happened, but can still make complete sense to himself (the one actually experiencing the stream of thought). Tristram frequently breaks the third wall and acknowledges the reader and his digressions showing that he understands how his narration may not make sense to his audience. If Tristram were truly just distracted he would not have the same cognitive awareness of the un-relatedness of his ideas. I found the second quote to be an interesting commentary on how ideas are associated with time, not necessarily in a chronological sense, but as a way to recognize one’s existence: “so we estimate the existence, or the continuation of the existence of ourselves, or any thing else, commensurate to the succession of any ideas in our minds, the duration of ourselves, or any such other thing co-existing with our thinking” (Sterne). Tristram’s digressions and ideas typically occur out of order or in a nonsensical fashion. This further emphasizes that ideas are related more so by how one associates them and the similar meanings one derives from them, versus how we would place their occurrence on a timeline. 

Paper 2 Outline

Thesis: Romance novels are curios that spark Arabella’s curiosity in a way that ultimately turns into obsession. Her life in regards to courtship between men and women becomes completely guided by the experiences of the characters in the romance novels she has obsessively read, leading to a life devoid of autonomy. Glanville views Arabella herself as a curio because of her beauty and often-irrational justifications and actions. His curiosity is sparked, but he maintains agency in his actions with Arabella, arguing that in The Female Quixote it is once curiosity turns into obsession that autonomy is lost.  

Outline

Paragraph 1

            Intro, thesis

Paragraph 2

Relationship between curiosity and obsession. OED.

Paragraph 3-4

Arabella’s thoughts on curiosity and her obsession with romance novels. Use examples showing novels as curios, her obsessive reading of them, and her quoting novels instead of constructing her own thoughts i.e. loss of autonomy,

Ex. “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 and Expectations. By them she was taught to believe, that Love was the ruling Principle of the World; that every other Passion was subordinate to this; and that it caused all the Happiness and Miseries of Life.”

“She had a strong Inclination to see what it contained; but, fearful of transgressing the Laws of Romance, by indulging a Curiosity not justifiable by Example, she resolved to return this Letter unopened.”

“Why so, Sir, replied Arabella, since it is not an indiscreet Curiosity

which prompts me to a Desire of hearing the Histories Mr. Tinsel has

promis'd to entertain me with; but rather a Hope of hearing

something which may at once improve and delight me; something

which may excite my Admiration, engage my Esteem, or influence my

Practice. “ or “Think not, Lovely Unknown, said she (for she was really very pretty) that my Endeavours to detain you proceed from an indiscreet Curiosity.”

Paragraph 5-6

Glanville’s curiosity with Arabella. Use examples showing his curiosity, him

going against her wishes/idea of how courtship should work, him choosing

to play along for her contentment (doing so knowingly and with logic/reason

to win her over).

           

Ex: “Every thing furnished Matter for some new Extravagance; her Character

was so ridiculous, that he could propose nothing to himself but eternal

Shame and Disquiet, in the Possession of a Woman, for whom he must always

blush, and be in Pain. But her Beauty had made a deep Impression on his

Heart: He admired the Strength of her Understanding; her lively Wit; the

Sweetness of her Temper; and a Thousand amiable Qualities which

distinguished her from the rest of her Sex: Her Follies, when opposed to all

those Charms of Mind and Person, seemed inconsiderable and weak; and,

though they were capable of giving him great Uneasiness, yet they could not

lessen a Passion which every Sight of her so much the more confirmed.”

“Arabella, continuing to ruminate upon her Adventure during their

little Journey, appeared so low-spirited and reserved, that Mr. Glanville, tho' he ardently wished to know all the Particulars of her Flight, and Meeting with that Gentleman, whose Company he found her in, was obliged to suppress his Curiosity for the present, out of a Fear of displeasing her. “

Paragraph 7

Van Zuylen: idée fixe leading to a sense of false agency. Arabella’s false sense of agency. How this differs from Glanville’s actual agency.

Ex: “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” (Van Zuylen 6). à Romance novels are Arabella’s idée fixe. Arabella thinks she’s controlling exactly how her life should pan out, but she is just following a mold constructed by romance novels for her.

Note: Not sure if I should take out the Glanville comparison portion and just focus on Arabella? In place I could discuss how she is setting up her life to be novel worthy which guides her decisions. This would go after the idée fixe discussion. She is creating a life that would read like the romance novels she’s already read making it unoriginal (lacking unique experiences that would have potentially come from autonomous decisions versus her formulated, pre-planned actions.)

In what ways does Arabella fit the mold outlined in The Rambler of a protagonist that youth would choose to model their behaviors after? Is she a good choice?

 Quote 1: “Many writers, for the sake of following nature, so mingle good and bad qualities in their principal personages, that they are both equally conspicuous; and as we accompany them through their adventures with delight, and are led by degrees to interest ourselves in their favour, we lose the abhorrence of their faults, because they do not hinder our pleasure, or, perhaps, regard them with some kindness for being united with so much merit (Johnson 3).

Quote 2: “Every thing furnished Matter for some new Extravagance; her Character was so ridiculous, that he could propose nothing to himself but eternal Shame and Disquiet, in the Possession of a Woman, for whom he must always blush, and be in Pain. But her Beauty had made a deep Impression on his Heart: He admired the Strength of her Understanding; her lively Wit; the Sweetness of her Temper; and a Thousand amiable Qualities which distinguished her from the rest of her Sex: Her Follies, when opposed to all those Charms of Mind and Person, seemed inconsiderable and weak; and, though they were capable of giving him great Uneasiness, yet they could not lessen a Passion which every Sight of her so much the more confirmed. (Lennox 117).

Throughout The Rambler, the reader takes away why and how young audiences relate to, condone, and reflect in their personal lives the actions of protagonists that typically have major flaws in character and morality. Johnson asserts that young audiences are looking for guidance and use novels to shape how they may ultimately choose to live. He also explains, quote one, how authors commonly devise characters that have a balance of “good and bad qualities” and that are relatable enough whether in personage or situation to resonate on a personal level with the reader. Arabella, the protagonist of The Female Quixote, would fall into this category of characters: as quote two details she may hurt the one’s around her but her beauty, intellect, wit, and charm, all qualities a reader may want to obtain or may see in themselves, make it okay and justify her flaws. Arabella’s coy and enchanting yet manipulative personality creates a character one would want to emulate because of the power she holds due to the aforementioned traits, but simultaneously creates a person one should want to avoid because of the discontent she causes for others. Interesting to note is how Arabella embodies the youth described by Johnson because everything she has learned about conducting herself she has learned from reading novels and studying their characters, which goes to show that releasing agency to follow the life-path of a fictional protagonist should not be used as a model for shaping a person—rather experience, instead, should mold an individual. 

In what ways are the inhabitants of Laputa monomaniacs?

Question: In what ways are the inhabitants of Laputa monomaniacs?

Quote 1: “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” (Van Zuylen 6).

Quote 2: “It seems the minds of these people are so taken up with intense speculations, that they neither can speak, nor attend to the discourses of others, without being roused by some external taction upon the organs of speech and hearing…” (Swift GT Book III).

In Book III of Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathon Swift creates the floating island of Laputa. Here, the inhabitants are completely consumed with mathematics and music; mathematics being a fixed science indisputable in nature and music being an art that one can create to fit their taste. Monomania hinges on both of the aforementioned ideas—perceived reality should be stagnant (mathematics) and created around an individual’s ideal version of their world (music). The first quote mentions “idée fixe” or a topic, person, or possession that one obsesses over and ultimately becomes their muse. For the people of Laputa their idée fixe’s are mathematics and music. Mathematics and music provide the comfort and structure (mentioned as important in the first quote) necessary for the people of Laputa’s monomaniac lifestyles. It is important to note that Van Zuylen uses words such as “infinite” and “unshakable” to describe how an idée fixe provides comfort and boundaries. By using these adjectives, it is clear to see how, when something is ever-present and ever-lasting in someone’s mind, a person can become absolutely absorbed in their obsession with said idée fixe—as seen by the people of Laputa in the second quote. There are also some people on Laputa that focus their efforts on astronomy, but are “ashamed to own it publically” likely because space and astronomical bodies are unpredictable and constantly in motion which does sit well with the monomaniac ideas the inhabitants of Laputa hold (Swift GT Book III).

I found it interesting that Van Zuylen states that an object of obsession lures a subject into a sense of agency—the word “sense” being key. We see this in Gulliver’s Travels via the second quote, the “intense speculations” the people are having on their topic of interest allows them to answer personal questions and make the world around them more finite which displays agency, but they need attendants to remind them to interact with people and engage in the world outside of their idée fixe; hence, why the people have a “sense” of agency instead of truly autonomous control of all facets of their world.  

First Paper Thesis, Outline, and Body Paragraph

Thesis: Autonomy is lost as one becomes consumed by curiosity.

Outline:

1.     Intro

2.     BP 1-2

a.     Robinson Crusoe

                                               i.     Overwhelming curiosity compels him to the sea time after time

                                              ii.     No longer making decisions based on logic

                                            iii.     Everything around him becomes a construct of his mind versus reality

3.     BP 3-4

a.     Fantomina

                                               i.     Uses personas starkly different than her own in order to explore her curiosities

                                              ii.     When she reveals herself she’s punished

                                            iii.     Power dynamics/social constructs influence what she is/can be curious about. Ultimately still owes a man for her new knowledge.

4.     BP 5-6

a.     C.U.M. Smith & Supplementary texts

                                               i.     Connecting Crusoe and Fantomina

1.     Similarity in lack of autonomy

2.     Differences in how their curiosity is viewed

a.     Crusoe = fortune

b.     Fantomina = sent away

                                              ii.     Incorporating Eighteenth Century ideas about curiosity

1.     Passions that do not depend on thought

5.     Conclusion

                       

           

Body Paragraph:

            “But I that was born to be my own Destroyer, could no more resist the Offer than I could restrain my first rambling Designs, when my Father’s good Counsel was lost upon me.” (Defoe 31).  Robinson Crusoe becomes completely consumed by a curiosity that continuously compels him to endanger his well-being.  “Good Counsel” in this quote represents reason and logic. Reason and logic being lost upon him is an interesting idea that suggests not just that neither had an impact on him, but that reason and logic were a complete waste of time in his current mental state. Crusoe completely abandons autonomous decision making when imparting the idea to the reader that he was born into this life; he has no choice, no way to change his course in life away from a constant cycle of self-destruction. The words used by Defoe, such as “rambling” and “no more resist” or “restrain,” create an image of someone who is admitting defeat and allowing nature to pull him towards the future that is fated for him rather than one shaped by autonomy. 

How does the protagonist in Fantomina embody early feminist thoughts on female curiosity?

Question: How does the protagonist in Fantomina embody early feminist thoughts on female curiosity?

Quote 1: “This excited a Curiosity in her to know in what Manner these Creatures were address’d:--She way young, a Stranger to the World, and consequently to the Dangers of it; and having no Body in Town, at that Time, to whom she was oblig’d to be accountable for her Actions, did every Thing as her Inclinations or Humours render’d most agreeable to her: Therefore thought it not in the least a Fault to put in practice a little Whim which came immediately into her Head, to dress herself as near as she could in the Fashion of those Women who make sale of their Favours, and set herself in the Way of being accosted as such a one, having at the Time no other Aim, than the Gratification of an innocent Curiosity.” (Fantomina)

Quote 2: “…English culture portrays curiosity as the mark of a threatening ambition, an ambition that takes the form of a perceptible violation of species and categories: an ontological transgression that is registered empirically. Curiosity is seeing your way out of your place. It is looking beyond.” (Benedict 2)

While reading Fantomina it is clear that it is a work stemming from early feminist ideas as it immediately delves into gender roles in regard to power/dominance and the “virgin, mother, whore” classification of women in the Eighteenth century. Throughout the novel the nameless protagonist is portrayed to Beauplaisir, the man she initially lusts after, as either a virgin, mother, or whore. Beauplaisir believes he holds all the power in each of his sexual encounters with the protagonist, yet it is actually she who has made these situations come to be and is essentially playing puppeteer to Beauplaisir’s actions. What drives the actions of Fantomina’s protagonist is the relationship she has between curiosity and desire. In the second quote from the Benedict reading, curiosity is described as a “threatening ambition.” Fantomina’s protagonist is more than just a girl looking to discover sexual relationships; she’s driven to get what she wants from her object through elaborate manipulation. A woman manipulating a man was surely an idea that received backlash at this point in history, but it serves to emphasize the power women held and the magnitude of what curiosity can create. Curiosity was viewed in the Eighteenth Century as an exploration for knowledge that had the potential to completely alter the order that had been established in society by creating new knowledge. Having a woman’s curiosity alter a man’s world is a concept explored throughout Fantomina.

It is interesting that in the first quote the protagonist’s curiosity is described as “an innocent curiosity.” This idea of innocence and the protagonist’s endeavor being “a little whim” juxtaposed with her wanting to embrace the discourse of a prostitute emphasizes the idea of the time that female curiosity was trivial because it was lustful and self-indulgent in nature. The author having the protagonist’s assumedly first quest for knowledge of the unknown being one that she must sell and lose part of herself to obtain also speaks to the relationship between women and curiosity; that the protagonist still owes a man in order to have fulfilled her curiosity. By refusing payment after sex with Beauplaisir, the author is communicating her belief that women can experience curiosity independent of men.  

Does What One’s Mind Construe As Reality Outweigh Reason?

Question: Does what one’s mind construe as reality outweigh reason?

Quote 1: “O what ridiculous Resolution Men take, when possess’d with Fear! It deprives them of the Use of those Means which Reason offers for their Relief.” (Defoe 115-116)

Quote 2: “The idols and false notions which are now in possession of the human understanding, and have taken deep root therein, not only so beset men’s minds that truth can hardly find entrance, but even after entrance obtained, they will again in the very instauration of the sciences meet and trouble us… ” (Bacon PE 41)

            At this point in the novel, the protagonist, Robinson Crusoe, has found what appears to be a single human footprint on the shore of his, otherwise thought to be, uninhabited island. This imprint of a foot in the sand sends Robinson Crusoe reeling into two years of what could be argued as delusional paranoia. From the first quote the reader can tell that Crusoe, when looking back on his actions post-footprint, knows that they were excessive and absurd. Later he comments how if he had never seen the footprint he would have continued living on the island in the calm he had created there for himself; Crusoe completely altered his reality and became “possessed” by fear prior to any proof that he was actually in danger.  This corresponds with the idols and false notions Francis Bacon discusses in the second quote and throughout his essay “The New Science.” Fear most definitely can be understood as a false notion – something that lacks concrete evidence of existence or reality. The events that have shaped a person’s life will ultimately shape what their notions are of the world around them. Crusoe has lived a life of misfortune; thus, finding a footprint in the sand immediately turns into a symbol of impending doom versus one of salvation.

Both quotes use the term possession which speaks to the idea that a person no longer has agency over what they believe is reality: making any sort of logic obsolete. What is interesting about the second quote is how Bacon states that, even if the “truth” begins to resonate with someone, inquisition of nature will ultimately make one have to analyze the validity of what they think they now know to be true and reevaluate their notions once more. Crusoe goes back and forth several times about what he believes the footprint is from and what finding it means for his situation. Even when he seems to be using logic and reason to deduce a present state free from harm he continues to repeatedly analyze his situation and go back to believing in a reality that is aligned with his fears. 

Does A Person Have Neurophysiological Control Over Their Compulsions? Relating Robinson Crusoe to Brain and Mind in the 'Long' 18th Century

Marisa Martini

ENG 364

Weekly Response 9/3/13

Question: Does a person have neurophysiological control over their compulsions?

Quote 1: “But I that was born to be my own Destroyer, could no more resist the Offer than I could restrain my first rambling Designs, when my Father’s good Counsel was lost upon me.” (Defoe 31)

Quote 2: “ ‘As for the movements of our passions… it is… very clear that they do not depend on thought, because they often occur in spite of us.’ ” (C.U.M. Smith 17)

While reading Robinson Crusoe it becomes clear from the very beginning that Robinson Crusoe’s desire for a life of exploration at sea cannot be thwarted by reason or logic. His father explains to him the comfort of a “middle station” lifestyle and the inevitable dangers that will ensue by venturing out to sea. Robinson Crusoe displays mental competence and a full understanding of his father’s logic, but, simultaneously, knows how unsatisfied he will be if he does not fulfill his compulsion to go to the sea. It seems reasonable to assume that if one knows the risks associated with the action they are considering taking they would steer clear of doing what could potentially be dangerous. Instead, even after experiencing horrific storms, pirates, slavery, shipwrecks, and countless other near-death experiences, Robinson Crusoe voyages to the sea time after time. In the first quote above, Robinson Crusoe expresses his inability to resist or restrain from his inexplicable desires that draw him to the sea. He is, as he says, born to be self-destructive, reaffirming the idea that he could not be deterred from his desires no matter how deadly they may be in nature. A theme begins to emerge: even against one’s better judgment, their compulsions will ultimately drive their actions. The Brain and Mind in the ‘Long’ Eighteenth Century reading focuses on how the nervous system plays a role in our movement, the transmission of our thoughts, and the conversion of thought to action. In the quote above, Descartes wrote how the passions within our soul are not interconnected with rational thought since our tendency is to completely disregard what we know would be the better choice in order to follow our passions. This idea from the Enlightenment period coincides with the actions taken by Defoe’s protagonist, Robinson Crusoe; Robinson Crusoe’s “rambling Designs” are these inexplicable, illogical passions. Defoe is acknowledging that something else that is not neurophysiologically controlled is at play when it comes to making decisions based on one’s compulsions – something that may be psychological and motivated by feelings and emotions rather than logic and reason.