Emotion

Definition

Emotion refers to the complex psychological state that involves a subjective experience, physiological response, and behavioral or expressive response. In literature, emotions are crucial as they evoke feelings in readers and reflect the inner lives of characters, often driving themes and narratives. The exploration of emotion has been significant in various literary movements, especially in how it connects to personal experience and societal critique.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. In Swift's writing, emotion often manifests through satire, using humor and irony to convey deeper feelings about society and human nature.
2. Pre-Romantic poetry marked a shift toward more personal emotional expression, moving away from strict forms to embrace spontaneity and authenticity.
3. The Romantic movement emphasized the importance of individual emotions as a response to industrialization and rationalism, celebrating nature and personal introspection.
4. Emotion in literature serves as a means of connection between characters and their experiences, providing insight into their motivations and conflicts.
5. Different literary techniques such as imagery, symbolism, and tone are employed by writers to evoke specific emotional responses from the audience.

Review Questions

• How does Swift's use of emotion through satire reflect his views on society?
  • Swift employs satire as a way to channel emotion into his critiques of societal norms and human folly. By exaggerating flaws through humor, he invites readers to feel a mix of amusement and discomfort, prompting them to reflect on serious issues like morality and politics. This approach demonstrates how emotional expression can serve both as entertainment and as a powerful tool for social commentary.
• In what ways did Pre-Romantic poetry pave the way for the Romantic movement's focus on emotion?
  • Pre-Romantic poetry began emphasizing personal emotions and individual experiences, moving away from traditional poetic forms. This shift set the stage for the Romantic movement's full embrace of emotion as central to artistic expression. Poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge drew inspiration from the emotional depth found in Pre-Romantic works, leading them to prioritize feelings about nature, love, and identity in their own writings.
• Evaluate how the Romantic movement reshaped the understanding of emotion in literature compared to previous literary periods.
  • The Romantic movement fundamentally transformed how emotion was understood in literature by valuing individual feelings over rational thought. Unlike earlier periods that emphasized structure and formality, Romantics sought authenticity in emotional expression, portraying deep personal experiences and connections with nature. This revaluation not only influenced narrative styles but also laid the groundwork for modern psychological explorations of character motivation and emotional complexity in literature.

Related terms

Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another, fostering a connection between characters and readers.

Sentimentality: A tendency to appeal to the reader's emotions, sometimes overly so, which can enhance or detract from the narrative.

Affect: A term used in psychology and literary studies to describe the experience of feeling or emotion that influences behavior.