Emotionalism Brought to you by: Nick Larson, Shawn Irvin, Dustin Heins

Definition Many people do not know that emotionalism is actually a word. By Dictionary definition (denotation), emotionalism means: 1.excessively emotional character: the emotionalism of sentimental fiction. 2.strong or excessive appeal to the emotions: the emotionalism of patriotic propaganda. 3.a tendency to display or respond with undue emotion, esp. morbid emotion. 4.unwarranted expression or display of emotion.

In other words… Emotionalism is the use of extreme, sometimes overdone and unwarranted emotions.

The Texts Before showing you how Emotionalism is a repeating theme (motif) in the texts that we read this year, we think it is important to do a brief overview of what the texts were about. This brings us to a video!

Important things to note From what we have discovered, the primary texts where emotionalism is the strongest is in Wuthering Heights and King Lear. Although the Awakening didn’t seem to have an emotionalist atmosphere, we believe there were shades of emotionalism in the Awakening as well.

Examples - Lear A great example of great emotion in King Lear is shown throughout the novel when he pretty much pours his heart into Cordelia’s hands, only to watch her not return the favor… This tension causes unstable emotions exchanged between Lear and Cordelia… “ Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty According to my bond; no more nor less. “ – Cordelia to Lear

Examples – Wuthering Heights We noticed that not only was emotionalism present in the plot of Wuthering Heights, but in Emily Bronte’s vivid imagery of what was going on as well… here are a few examples we felt stood out. “but he said it would change, if the air blew on it, and so I struck one side of the coffin loose, and covered it up—not Linton’s side, damn him! I wish he’d been soldered in lead” – Heathcliff to Nelly "I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself.“ – Heathcliff, resentful as usual

The Awakening We were really only able to find a level of emotionalism in the Awakening that was the area of emotionalism that attempts to appeal to one’s emotions. This is seen all over the novel, but we found a few quotes that we felt attempted to appeal the most. “naked in the open air, at the mercy of the sun, the breeze that beat upon her, and the waves that invited her.” – Edna, just before she commits suicide How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious! She felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known. – referring to Edna

The Lenses Although there are many critical thinking lens applicable to the emotionalism in the texts we read… we chose, what we felt was the most appropriate one, for each. Wuthering Heights - Marxist The Awakening - Feminist King Lear - Psychological

Wuthering Heights - Marxist We felt that the mad hunger for power that Heathcliff had drove him to make some rash and over emotional decisions. For example, throughout the entire story trying to get little Cathy to marry Linton so he can get Thrushcross Grange as his own. Not only that, but the fact that his social status preventing him as a young child from being able to truly be with his love, Cathy could have easily caused repressed anger, over-expressed in later parts of the text.

King Lear - King Lear - Psychological The sheer mindstate of Lear had to be unstable from the beginning of the novel. Whether it was intentional or subconcious to Lear, throughout the entire novel his rash decisions and emotional instability causes him to make a chain of decisions that lead to his, and many of the people he love’s, demise.

The Awakening - Feminist It is undisputable that the setup in the time frame that the novel took place was one that positioned men to dominate women. This social inequality directly affected the entire series of outcomes in the text. Everything from Edna’s affair with Robert to her suicide was caused by her husband’s “trophy wife” attitude towards her.