Anger within RED

'If possible send me an amusing book small enough to be put in a large pocket. That is to say smaller than a Prayer-book and much smaller than a Hymn Book and much larger than a Thumb Dictionary. The more full of senseless gossip your letters are the more I like them but I like them all of whatever kind, and I appreciate their variety. Which is infinite. I have just thrown out of the window Arnold Bennett's book called Edwin and Angelina or words to that effect. I have read bits of it.' (Baring RED)

This post on Reading Experience Database is quite interesting. It expresses anger but in a format that is a bit sneaky. The reader isn't very revealing with their anger and they wait until the last sentence to indicate that there was anything wrong. 

Anger here is shown through the frustration and specificity of book sizes. This reader is extremely specific about what kind of book they would enjoy reading and also the size of the book. It is strange that they would feel so partial to a particular subject but I suppose to each his own. This person speaks about how they enjoy gossip and letters which indicates that they are fueled by frivolous and scandalous information. Along with that, they are fueled by whatever pleases them. It seems that this individual is a bit selfish, to be honest.

I wasn't sure how anger was incorporated into this when I first began reading. I believe that the anger is shown when the reader declares, "I have just thrown out of the window Arnold Bennett's book." This shows that they are fueled by even the smallest of issues. It seems silly to throw a book out of the window but this is what triggers that individual. Anger can stem from many different emotions and this individual is simply fueled by pure dislike. Small frustrations can spark any angry emotion. And this passage truly conveys that.

It is also interesting that the last sentence of the passage is, "I read bits of it." The man did not even engage in the entirety of the book and yet he still threw it out of the window. Anger is a funny thing in that an individual cannot shake it. Once there is anger, it is very difficult to shake that feeling. Due to the fact that this individual did not like a few bits of this book, the fire of anger is there to stay. The only way to release that anger is by throwing the book out of the window, which is a literal outlet for the anger. 

The Mind and its Many Wonders

"It is the latter pole which embraces such phenomena as contemplation, daydreams, fantasies and free associative thinking, that has been the focus of attention within traditional narratology." (Palmer 88)

Can the mind really be considered "functional" if it works within such a broad range of feeling and emotion?

It is very interesting that at the same time, our minds can be the most helpful object and the largest distraction at times. The quote above really, really interested me because the different ideas that the mind can provoke is extremely interesting. Daydreaming is an extremely dangerous thing for the mind because it can create problems within productivity.

Contemplation is an interesting idea as well. This can lead to an idea of productivity, but it can also force an individuals to run circles around in their own head. Contemplation can mean thinking of a way to start a project or it can also mean, thinking about life and other things in general. There is such a broad spectrum that the mind can reach out to and there are so many possibilities. Is it really functional if you are never allowed to turn your mind off.

Free associative thinking can become dangerous because there are constant connections and associations made between ideas. One thing leads to the next and there is a never-ending pathway of thought within the mind. There are too many ideas running around.

Such phenomena as these ideas can really just lead to too many ideas and emotions. Although this might be functional for some, it only works if one really and truly knows how to control their thoughts and emotions.

"It is a basic, operational, working assumption of cognitive scientists that the mind is an information processing device." (Palmer 89)

Within the article, it changes to state the brain is a cognitive device (which obviously it is) but there is an idea of control and informational ideals held within the brain. Therefore, there are two elements to the mind which stimulates different sides of personality. There is the control central idea but there is also the free thinking creativity that is stimulated as well. These ideas come together to create the mind as one. So although the brain is supposed to be functional, I don't think that there can be one definition of functionality within the brain because it can do so many different things for a human.

The Beginning of an Extensive Outline

This is the beginning of my extensive outline for the research paper. I have a lot done but there is still plenty to do. This is probably not even a third of the paper but it is getting there and I hope to flush out the rest over Thanksgiving!

Anger and Wollstonecraft

Outline

1.     Etymology

a.     Anger hails from Old Norse Terminology.

                                               i.     Used in Middle English in 1325.

1.     Rooted from angyr, angir and angre.

a.     “Na man may to heven ga, Bot-if he thole here anger and wa,” is a quote from Richard Rolle in The Pricke of Concious.

                                                                                                     i.     I think that this is the simplest term of anger. Rooted within anger is fear and that ultimate fear is hell. If an individual is shrouded in anger, then they will not be able to attain heaven after death.

b.     Anger as a Noun

                                               i.     “That which pains or afflicts; the passive feeling which it produces; trouble, affliction, vexation, sorrow.” (OED)

1.     This idea of a passive feeling which it produces is interesting. Prompts the idea that anger is fueled by frustration and the passivity that controls it.

a.     Once the passivity is gone, the aggression is revealed and that frustration turns into anger.

2.     “Deliuer me from this anger þat I dwelle in,” is a quote from the Gesta Romanorum.

a.     It describes that anger really is an affliction. It lingers and consumes an individual’s conscious.

                                             ii.     “The active feeling provoked against the agent; passion, rage, ire, wrath, hot displeasure.” (OED)

1.     This reflects the idea that there has to be an issue or dilemma that provokes the anger.

a.     In turn, this would obviously be something that an individual was passionate about. If there was an issue with their desires.

b.     The idea of anger stems from something uncomfortable and frustrating as well.

2.     “Anger is a vehement heat of the minde, which brings palenesse to the countenance, burning to the eyes, and trembling to the parts of the body.” A quote from J. Smith’s Myst. Rhetorique.

a.     The descriptors within this sentence paint a picture for what the body language of anger is.

b.     Burning eyes gives off the illusion of anger and the fury that resonates behind anger.

                                                                                                     i.     Adds to the idea of passion being compromised.

c.     Anger as a Verb

                                               i.     “To distress, trouble, vex, hurt, wound.” (OED)

1.     Distress into wounding is an interesting correspondence between the feelings of anger. Distress seems that there is just some unrest, but not anger. A wound seems as if there is a deep gash in the skin and that is causing severe anger.

                                             ii.     “Hence through the idea of irritate: to excite to wrath, make angry, enrage.” (OED)

1.     To excite to wrath is an interesting idea. Excite seems like something is happy and fun but it seems that this excite is to stimulate. Wrath seems to be a loaded word that is fueled by previous angry encounters and demeanors.

2.     “A person free from passion, whom none could anger out of his ordinary temper.” From T. Fuller’s Worthies.

a.     This quote reflects the opposite demeanor of anger, but shows the function of what could force anger.

b.     Reveals that if an individual isn’t passionate about something then they will have nothing to become angry or excited about. There is nothing that can be taken away or threatened within their life.

2.     Wollstonecraft

a.     “It is time to effect a revolution in female manners—time to restore to them their lost dignity—and make them, as part of the human species, labor by reforming themselves, to reform a world.” (Wollstonecraft 255)

                                               i.     Mary Wollstonecraft dedicated her world to feminism and change the roles of women within the world.

1.     This clearly dictated her passion and where anger can stem from.

2.     Although she is angry, she still manages to remain composed throughout her piece, A Vindication of the Rights of Women.

a.     This piece effectively represents the stages of anger: discomfort, frustration, anger and fury.

b.     “It is in this context that A Vindication of the Rights of Woman presents the first fully elaborated feminist criticism of misogynist images of women in literature as well as the first sustained argument for female political, economic, and legal equality.” (Wollstonecraft 255)

                                                                                                     i.     This quote is from the Introduction of the piece. It shows that Wollstonecraft is educated and passionate about this subject, therefore verifying that her anger is truly stemming from passion and not just from unjustified revenge.

b.     I want to explore the evolution of her anger and how it spins into varying pieces of the anger chain.

                                               i.     Wollstonecraft begins her argument calm and composed.

1.     She achieves this by simply stating facts and casually including her beliefs as well.

a.     “Yet, because I am a woman, I would not lead my readers to suppose that I mean violently to agitate the contested question respecting the equality or inferiority of the sex;” (Wollstonecraft 259)

The Dehumanization of Females

Are gender roles another way of dehumanizing females? Does this decrease sympathy for women in the eighteenth century?

"When she was discontented she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news." (Austen 45)

Pride and Prejudice was always one of my favorite books throughout high school and I never really thought to criticize anything about it. It is interesting that Volume 1 of it was placed during the Dehumanization and Sympathy week. As I was reading, I was thinking of these two things in mind and could not get over the fact that the first part of Volume 1 is so completely enthralled with the fact that the daughters HAVE to get married. It is a constant line repeated throughout the first twenty pages of the novel. The girls are looked at as prizes for the men to win in order to get the prettiest, smartest or most polite girl in the room.

Along with that, having her daughters married to handsome and ravishing men seems to be a point of pride for Mrs. Bennett. She is thoroughly concerned with this. The line above seems to paint her as a shallow being who only cares about social stature and gossip at that. Although the girls might want to be married and whisked away within some mystical fantasy, the reader doesn't really gain a clear idea of what their feelings are in the beginning due to the fact that their thoughts aren't really revealed. Therefore, the reader cannot sympathize with the girls because there is no defense for them to reflect upon within the beginning. Once the novel continues on, we are able to learn a little bit about the girls and the dehumanization declines. 

"Oh! You are a great deal too apt you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in any body. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in my life." (Austen 53) 

This line is revealed a little bit later within the first volume. We finally are given a chance to witness a conversation between Elizabeth and Jane. This line is spoken by Elizabeth about Jane. It seems that although we get to learn about some of the girls, they are very mild mannered and polite and therefore do not put up a fight. Although we will learn more about the girls at a later time in the novel, it does seem that at the beginning, they are painted as pawns within the game of the eighteenth century. This is a reflection of how females were viewed during the eighteenth century. There wasn't really sympathy for women during this time. They were seen as housewives and just women to marry. It all seems like it was a game and proves that dehumanization takes away from any sympathy that was ever possible. 

New Proposal (Very Short but More to Come!)

Anger and Wollstonecraft

Question to research: Is anger perceived differently coming from a female rather than a male? Does it depend upon the topic that the individual is passionate about?

When looking at Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women I was very interested in her disposition when talking about women's rights in the eighteenth century. At the beginning, she is extremely composed and seems to strike at some specific points at times. As the piece progresses, she becomes a little more frustrated and outspoken. By the end, the reader can clearly see that this subject has caused her to become angry. She really wants to rally and speak out for her rights but realizes the vindication that is placed behind the standard of women.

I realize that this is an extremely general post but I want to see how a woman's development of anger is different from that of a man's. It seems that men wouldn't stay as calm and collected as Wollstonecraft was at the beginning of her piece. It is interesting to see the progression of anger behind Wollstonecraft's disposition. It seems that there is an evolution behind her sternly composed piece, to frustration to anger.

It's a short post, but the comparison between the development of anger in men and women would be an interesting topic to research. There will definitely be more to come for another post tomorrow night or so!

The Transformation of Melancholy into Madness

As I was reading, I found the two poems extremely interesting to view. Christopher Smart brings a questionable madness to his writing while Anne Finch represents the melancholic tones of eighteenth century poetry. At the same time, I found a sort of lost sullenness within both pieces which leads me to prompt, can melancholy lead to madness and/or vice versa?

"A Calm of Stupid Discontent, Then dashing onto the Rocks wilt Rage into a Storm, Tremblings sometimes thou dost appear." (Finch 7-10)

This quote from Finch prompts the idea of melancholy. I really, really enjoyed this piece. This quote specifically meant a lot to me. The idea of stupid discontent is interesting. I believe that it shows that we as individuals can have anything and everything in the world and yet we can still be upset and wanting more. It seems that there is this pointless emptiness and there is no feeling within that discontentment. Therefore, because there is no strong emotion or feeling, it is sort of shown as this empty calm idea. There is nothing to feel or think about and therefore melancholic tones protrude through the calm. And I find it interesting that calm is utilized within this idea because it can usually take on a positive context. In this idea, it seems negative because of the vastness of the calm, like an open ocean.

Continuing on from that, that discontentment is transported into some sort of rage. It will grown and formulate and then ultimately, the calm will dissolve and the madness will appear. I liked that she said, "Tremblings sometimes thou dost appear." It seems that this can be utilized in a format that shows that things will become unstable within that madness and melancholy. It takes over the body from feeling such empty emotions to causing such a wild and angry storm within the mind. These changes are overwhelming and scary and these are common similarities between madness and melancholy.

Finch continues to discuss the ideas of rage and madness throughout the end of the poem as well. By utilizing this quote and showing that there can be rage but the weak engage in such feelings. It seems that the journey of that melancholic individual has driven them to rage. They succumb to their feelings and negative emotions quite often and they bear a load that causes them to ultimately become weak. "The tricks of thy pernicious Rage, Which do the weaker sort engage." (Finch 112-113) Although I feel that the negative connotation of this line is quite heavy, it still shows that rage and madness is sneaky and it can absorb a single person's emotions. It does not matter if the person is weak or strong or whatever they are feeling. Madness can creep up on anyone and take over to cause an individual to become weak. This is turn causes the cycle to change to madness causing melancholy. The idea of madness is so overwhelming and intense that the sadness can accompany those fears of madness.

Ultimately, the cycle of madness and melancholy is vicious and seemingly can weaken anyone.

Research Paper Proposal

For the final research paper, I want to explore the effects of desire and how it affected the view of women in the eighteenth century.

Although it was not explored as much, I want to utilize The Female Quixote to explore feelings of desire within Arabella and her feelings towards Mr. Glanville. I would utilize this text as my primary resource. Some points that I would like to explore would include:

• How is Arabella viewed by her peers because of her passion for things (including adventure, writing her history and Mr. Glanville)
• Is it out of the ordinary for this time to have a female character who is so headstrong and confident within eighteenth century literature? 
• How is Arabella compared to other female characters within the novel? 

Although these are broad questions, I really want to explore how females are viewed when they display feelings of desire. Whether that be driven through love or passion, I want to see the reactions of individuals towards that. 

As secondary sources, I will attempt to employ Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women in order to pull aspects of the feminist voice and in order to show the desire for change in women's rights based upon that. Along with that, I want to include Haywood's Reflections of the Various Effects of Love. This will help to gain the aspects of sin within desire and how this is reflected upon women. 

Although this might be a very broad proposal, I am very excited to explore aspects of feminism within desire and how gender defines or affects this human mindset. 

The Evolution of Anger

Can frustration develop into anger? And is that anger fueled by something that an individual is passionate about?

"Women are, in fact, so much degraded by mistaken notions of female excellence, that I do not mean to add a paradox when I assert, that this artificial weakness produces a prosperity to tyrannize, and gives birth to cunning, the natural opponent of strength," (261)

Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women was an interesting piece that had some sharp emotional undertones throughout. Although she did not outright say that she was frustrated with the social standards that are placed upon women, her writing conveyed a frustration that caused the reader to sympathize with her and also feel obligated to help change those standards. Throughout the piece, she is composed and provides a bit of history upon the relationships between men and women in society.

As the piece progresses, she becomes fueled by her emotions and seems to spark a bit of anger within her writing, as shown by the above quote. Although Wollstonecraft's writing was a feminist piece, I believe that this quote also effectively presents the transition between frustration and anger. It shows that because women have been told that they are weak and unable to fend for themselves, they in turn become fueled by criticism and desire a change within those notions. Therefore, because these frustrations become angry emotions, individuals must channel those feelings into something productive and forceful. In Wollstonecraft's case, this means cunning thoughts in order to overcome.

Along with that, anger does not represent violence. Anger can be matched with productivity, logic and planning in order to create the change that is needed. "I hope that no sensible mother will restrain the natural frankness of youth by instilling such indecent cautions." (267) There doesn't have to be insane change either. There are steps that can be taken to enable the future of change. There doesn't have to be tyranny, but there can be plans that revert the happenings within society. And thus, I feel that the movement for change through anger can be connected to desire.

Anger is an extremely powerful emotion and although there are many levels of anger within humans, it can still be the driving force for a plethora of other emotions. Concerning Wollstonecraft's ideas, it seems that desire is fueled by the power for equality for men and women. Ultimately, because of the frustration that was slowly developed through Wollstonecraft's writing, the reader is able to view the evolution of frustration into anger which can then led to the betterment of the argument through desire or any other emotion available.

Boredom is Simply an Opinion

Is boredom truly a characteristic that coincides with a certain gender?

"The Idler has no rivals or enemies." (Johnson 2)

This quote from Samuel Johnson's The Idler really struck me. It seems to portray boredom as a neutral position that doesn't have any opinions or feelings. There is nothing to provoke and nothing to question when stuck in a state of boredom. Because there is no motivation to be doing anything, the individual is stuck in a state of leisure and at that time would not be causing any controversy or denying any other opinions. Therefore, due to the fact that they do not have opinions, they could not truly make allies with individuals based upon common interests or opinions and could definitely not offend anyone with their outward opinions.

It is interesting though, that within Spack's Boredom chapter, there is information based upon ideals of gender discrimination within boredom. "In the eighteenth century, women attributed it to men, in the nineteenth, men attributed it to women." (Spack X) The fact that there was gender differentiation within boredom boggles my mind. It is interesting because boredom doesn't necessarily mean lazy. It could mean leisurely, unmotivated or just uninterested. I don't believe that it has to take on a negative connotation because one gender is better than the other at a certain time.

Because of Johnson's opinions based upon boredom in saying that because the Idler doesn't have enemies, those individuals really don't challenge anything. It could mean that they are content and do not want to challenge the ideas that are prominent within society at that time. Because this passivity is prominent, it makes that certain gender appear to be lazy. Because history reports that men rested upon their laurels during the seventeenth century and then women began to take on more household roles during the eighteenth century, these ideas of changes within interest provided people with the opportunity to generalize boredom into one gender category. I believe that this is unfair. No matter what occurs in life, there are always going to be times of boredom and no motivation, but there are also times of inspiration and genius that can provoke interest. Therefore, I do not believe that this category can be directed towards one gender as a whole. Based upon certain individuals' interests, boredom can occur at any time and in any place.

Shandy's Impressive Memory

How can memory be reproduced so thoroughly within Tristam Shandy? I find it interesting that he can completely remember everything from his past.

"The trope articulates processes of recollection whose goals are to invent and compose in the present -- not to reproduce a record of past events." (Carruthers 21)

Carruthers makes some interesting points within the piece Book of Memory. She discusses how important memories are and how the human mind can recite specific details from any angle of the memory. This is clearly shown within Volume III of Tristam Shandy. Tristam can quite prominently recount even the tiniest of details from his stories. "Any man, madam, reasoning upwards, and observing the prodigious suffusion of blood in my father's countenance-- by of which, (as all the blood in his body seemed to rush up into his face, as I told you)" (Sterne 115) Within this passage, he remembers how his father's blood was rushing through his body. It is absolutely ridiculous that he can remember such small details.

Despite that, I believe that Tristam Shandy reflects the above Carruthers quote throughout the entirety of the novel. In the beginning, he was completely focused on starting the journey of his birth but he subsequently becomes distracted. Although he is reproducing a record of events from his past, he is making his story original by jumping timelines, adding in small historical references and also by breaking the fourth wall and adding ridiculous commentary. Therefore, he is inventing a story in the present while still recounting interesting stories from the past.

Absorption Outline

Thesis: Absorption is a state of mind that can transport an individual to a far off place from reality. Due to evidence from The Female Quixote, readers are provided with a first hand account of how absorption sweeps individuals into a fantasy land within their own minds. 

Outline

1.     Absorption and Relationships

a.     “Diversified only by accidents that daily happen in the world, and influenced by passions and qualities which are really to be found in conversing with mankind.” (Johnson 1)

                                               i.     Absorption is a process that occurs within a cycle. It grows and is influenced by interests and desires and formulates a passion for a certain object.

1.     This is displayed thoroughly by Arabella and her obsession with writing her own life story.

b.     “Yet he dreaded to see her exposed to Ridicule by her fantastical Behavior and become the Jest of Persons who were not possessed of half of her understanding.” (Lennox 117)

                                               i.     Absorption can also be associated with love. The feelings of obsession and desire can transform into absorption and love.

1.     This is clearly shown by Glanville caring about Arabella. He didn’t want her fantastical sense of absorption embarrassing her within reality, when at the same time, he was absorbed within his obsession of Arabella.

2.     Absorption and the Unspoken Language

a.     “I dream my life away in others’ speculations.”

                                               i.     Absorption is a world in which individuals become lost. They become unaware of their surroundings and completely enamor themselves with the ideas of their obsession.

1.     Shown by the image of the girl reading by Fragonard, absorption is completely prominent as shown by body language. Posture is slouched over the book, the head is tilted down, the book is held up with a regal stature.

b.     “Therefore to disengage herself from the Perplexity his Question threw her into, she was obliged to offer some Violence to her Ingenuousness;”

                                               i.     Absorption is quite difficult to separate oneself from. Therefore for Arabella to know that the only way of detaching herself from the situation is of violent language is quite impressive.

1.     She pulls herself out of her fantasy with Glanville but still remains absorbed with formulating every action within the ideas of a dramatic reading performance.

3.     Absorption and Fantasy

a.     “’Your history,’ said Miss Glanville! ‘Why, will write your own history then?’” “’I shall not write it,’ said Arabella, tho’ questionless, ‘it will be written after my death.’”

                                               i.     Absorption can completely be tied in with the grand vision of what reality could possibly be. Absorption therefore hinders reality and lands within a fantasy of the world.

1.     Arabella is insanely concerned with the ideas that her history will be written and her life will be immortalized forever.

2.     She seems to forget that her reality is present and she doesn’t reflect upon her actions. She simply continues to live her life without consequence and travel on as she pleases.

b.     “Our charming Heroine, ignorant till now of the true State of her Heart.”

                                               i.     Absorption can also prompt ignorance, which is associated with fantasy. Fantasy can blind an individual from reflecting upon their actions.

1.     Arabella was forced to see what her relationship with Glanville really was but it was within a fantasy land of the princess.

a.     She required outside sources to force her out of her ignorance and reign her back into the world of reality.

Sample Body Paragraph

            Absorption seems to be tiered upon a hierarchy that is driven by interests, passions and desires. Absorption can begin as a small spark of interest and then grow into a desire or obsession until the individual is completely lost within absorption. With absorption reigning as the top tier of this hierarchy, it seems proper that relationships reflect the same development as absorption does. “Diversified only by accidents that daily happen in the world, and influenced by passions and qualities which are really to be found in conversing with mankind.” (Johnson 1) Throughout The Female Quixote, readers view the development of Arabella and Mr. Glanville’s relationship. Their relationship begins as a simple conversation. These conversations grow and spark emotions and require opinions and thoughts from each speaker. From there, similar interests are found, ideas are shared and passion begins to form. Individuals claim stake within relationships that challenge one another and provide a safe haven for conversation. This is where absorption begins to develop on a scale. Interest is sparked within conversation, those similar interests fuel desire and absorption is reached when desire has filled over into obsession. Throughout this, absorption the constant stream of what that individual is thinking about. Throughout the novel, Glanville and Arabella are obviously thinking about one another. Glanville even develops the instinct to protect her. “Yet he dreaded to see her exposed to Ridicule by her fantastical Behavior and become that Jest of Person who were not possessed of half of her Understanding.” (Lennox 117) Glanville truly began to care about Arabella and had the desire to protect her from the evils of her own absorption. He was absorbed in saving her from her own absorbed mind. Therefore, absorption and the development of a hierarchical format is quite important within the idea of relationships and desire.