Narrating Emotion Through Time Dozent: Prof. Dr. Sieglinde Lemke Tutor: Christopher Young-Kramaric Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The term narrative fiction suggests a succession of fictional events and a communication process… Thus, it always involves emotions…

The Short Story The Cambridge Introduction to the American Short Story (Martin Scofield, 2006) “[…] the ‘modern’ short story has been identified with ‘epiphanic’ perceptions of reality, which focus on revelatory moments rather than plot or linear narrative and development….” (4) “[…] more broadly it is a mode of story in which the overall idea, rather than character, plot or ‘themes’ in the usual sense, dominates the conception of the work and gives it its unity or deliberate disunity. often motivated by a single idea or image (whereas the novel can incorporate several and chart the relation between them); dominated by a single guiding idea or mood and often achieving a perceptible overall aesthetic coherence.” (5) the short story tries to convey a moment of understanding or cognition in which we grasp what the story may get at in its collaboration with the mind of the reader reading.” (6)

3 Characteristic Features of the Short Story Brevity: a format in which “every word counts” Compression: focused around a single event, character, idea, or theme Unity of effect! This foregrounds the role of the reader. The goal is to elicit a strong cognative or emotional response

Fiction and Emotions Affective Fallacy (W.K. Wimsat, 1946) “Literary criticism that takes seriously literature‘s effects on readers leads to impressionism and relativism.” Feelings and sensations, which are rooted in the body, occlude the operation of cognition.

Defining Emotion Emotion: a strong feeling deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others; instinctive or intuitive feeling as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge. Feeling: an emotional state or reaction. (feelings) the emotional side of someone's character; emotional responses or tendencies to respond; strong emotion; an idea or belief, especially a vague or irrational one; an attitude or opinion Passion: strong and barely controllable emotion; a state or outburst of strong emotion.

Affect vs. Effect affect (verb) have an effect on; make a difference to; touch the feelings of; move emotionally. pretend to have or feel (something). use, wear, or assume (something) pretentiously or so as to make an impression on others. effect (noun) a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause; the state of being or becoming operative; an impression produced in the mind of a person. (verb) cause (something) to happen; bring about.

Emotions An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior. Emotions are subjective experiences, or experienced from an individual point of view. Emotion is often associated with mood, temperament, personality, and disposition. Studied in: Philosophy (emotions connected with ethics) Social Sciences (the role of emotions in human culture/interaction) Psychology (emotions as mental processes/behavior) Neuroscience (the neural mechanisms of emotion) Communication sciences (role of emotions in organizations)

Basic Emotions (Paul Ekman) In Emotion and the Human Face (1972), Ekman set forth a psychological theory of emotions that saw them as not culturally determined, but common to all people. He distinguished between 7 basic emotions encoded in facial expressions:

joy, fear, sadness, anger, contempt, disgust, and surprise He expanded his list of basic emotions in the 1990s to include positive and negative emotions not encoded in the face. The additions were: amusement, contempt, contentment, embarrassment, excitement, guilt, pride in achievement, relief, satisfaction, sensory pleasure, and shame.

The Nature of Emotion (Plutchik) Vertical dimension relates to intensity. Eight sectors indicate 8 primary emotion dimensions (arranged in four pairs of opposites [i.e. loathing vs. admiration]) Emotions in blank spaces (love, submission, etc.) are mixtures of two of the primary emotions

Identifying Basic Emotions Theorist Basic Emotions Plutchik Acceptance, anger, anticipation, disgust, joy, fear, sadness, surprise Arnold Anger, aversion, courage, dejection, desire, despair, fear, hate, hope, love, sadness Ekman, Friesen, and Ellsworth Anger, contempt, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, surprise Frijda Desire, happiness, interest, surprise, wonder, sorrow Gray Rage and terror, anxiety, joy Izard Anger, contempt, disgust, distress, fear, guilt, interest, joy, shame, surprise James Fear, grief, love, rage McDougall Anger, disgust, elation, fear, subjection, tender-emotion, wonder Mowrer Pain, pleasure Oatley and Johnson-Laird Anger, disgust, anxiety, happiness, sadness Panksepp Expectancy, fear, rage, panic Tomkins Anger, interest, contempt, disgust, distress, fear, joy, shame, surprise Watson Fear, love, rage Weiner and Graham Happiness, sadness

Arousal, lust, passion, infatuation Basic emotion Secondary emotion Tertiary emotions Love Affection Adoration, love, fondness, attraction, caring, tenderness, compassion, sentimentality Desire Arousal, lust, passion, infatuation Joy Cheerfulness Bliss, glee, joviality, joy, delight, satisfaction, happiness, elation, ecstasy, euphoria Zest / Rapture Enthusiasm, zeal, excitement, thrill, exhilaration, enthrallment Contentment Pleasure, serenity, peace of mind, emotional balance Pride Triumph, satisfaction Optimism Eagerness, hope Anger Irritation Aggravation, agitation, annoyance, grouchiness, grumpiness, exasperation, frustration, exhaustion Rage Anger, outrage, fury, hostility, ferocity, bitterness, hate, loathing, scorn, spite, resentment Disgust Revulsion, contempt Envy Jealousy Sadness Suffering Agony, hurt, anguish Depression, despair, gloom, unhappiness, grief, sorrow, woe, misery, melancholy Disappointment Dismay, displeasure Shame Guilt, regret, remorse Neglect Alienation, isolation, loneliness, rejection, defeat, insecurity, embarrassment, humiliation, Fear Horror Alarm, shock, fear, fright, terror, panic, hysteria, mortification Nervousness Anxiety, tenseness, uneasiness, apprehension, worry, distress, dread

The Nature of Emotion (Plutchik) Stimuli are experienced and humans/animals behave prototypically. After this response, we return to an equilibrium state. We often use the word emotion to describe “feeling states”, but emotion is in fact much more complex.

Defining Emotions: Looking at Antecedents In The Cognitive Structure of Emotions (1990), Andrew Ortony defines 22 emotions in accordance to what brings them about: Reactions to Events I appraisal of an event – joy, distress fortune of others – happy-for, sorry-for, resentment, gloating Reactions to Events II appraisal of a possible future event – hope, fear, satisfaction, relief, fears-confirmed, disappointment Reactions to Agents appraisal of an agent’s action – pride, shame, admiration, reproach compound emotions – gratification (pride + joy), gratitude (admiration + joy), anger (reproach + distress), remorse (shame + distress) Reactions to Objects appraisal of an object – love, hate

Connecting Emotion and Thought “Emotions and intelligence go hand in hand, which is why humans […] are such emotional animals.” In Passion and Reason: Making Sense of Our Emotions (1996), Richard Lazarus claimed that culture and biology combine to shape emotions, but that their ultimate meaning depends heavily on personal history and attitudes. He categorized emotions as follows: the nasty emotions (anger, envy, jealousy) the existential emotions (anxiety-fright, guilt, shame) emotions provoked by unfavorable life conditions (relief, hope, sadness, depression) emotions provoked by favorable life conditions (happiness, pride, love) empathetic emotions (gratitude, compassion, and those aroused by aesthetic experiences)

So…how many basic emotions are there? Ekman Plutchik Lazarus Ortony 7 8 15 22

Emotion and Literature mind (imagination) and body (corporeality) Described in the text: telling versus showing Experienced by the reader

Emotion and Literary Genres Sentimentalism Melodrama Gothic novel Realism

Interpreting “The Story of an Hour”

4 + 3 of literary analysis: character narrator setting composition plot / story style / tone theme / symbols

Course Assignments Creative assignment (ungraded) 4 journal entries <1 page based on the 5 emotional clusters (Complete three prior to the retreat) Forward one to Chris by Saturday, June 25, 2009 – 20.00 Research assignment Short in-class presentation on one of the 5 emotional clusters Write a 1-2 page review of an assigned emotion or theorist Due: September 15, 2009 Critical assignment (can also be creative) Ca. 15 page term paper on one of the short stories or authors discussed in the course