Guides: ENGL C101 Guide for Gary Enns: Analytical Tool Ideas

Numinous Spaces

Aguirre, Manuel. "Geometries of terror: numinous spaces in gothic, horror and science fiction." Gothic Studies, vol. 10, no. 2, Nov. 2008, pp. 1+. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A392479774/GLS?u=cclc_cerroccc&sid=bookmark-GLS&xid=
This article elucidates an aspect of the formal use Gothic fiction makes of space. It begins by exploring the complex and confusing area in between spaces; after discussing examples of spatial ambiguity from several genres, and briefly outlining some narrative ‘geometries’ employed by Gothic fiction, the article concentrates on a segment from Ann Radcliffe‘s The Italian in order to show how precisely the use of thresholds can elicit numinous terror, and so, in what way the threshold is vital to the construction of Gothic narratives. The discussion of Gothic spaces is rounded off with a close analogy from the field of contemporary mathematics which clarifies Gothic liminalization techniques.

NOTES FROM THE PROFESSOR: This is a dense read, but don't be scared off. Instead, breeze through it to the following ideas of note:

Rites of Passage - Arnold Van Gennep: On page two, Aguirre explain Gennep's study of the rites of passage. First, the individual leaves the familiar world (rite of separation, or preliminal rites; then, s/he undergoes a test or ordeal (the liminal rite or rite of the margin); finally, the person is reincorporated into the world (rite of incorporation, or postliminal rite), but in a changed condition. Study Gennep's ideas here, and then see if you can apply this system of the rite of passage to a story or event you are studying.

The geometry of the Gothic Universe: Van Gennep's ideas lead Aguirre into his discussion of the basic geometry of Gothic literature. He uses a visual figure to help us understand this quality: in a Gothic story, the boundary, or threshold, between the everyday world of rationality and intelligible events is crossed, and one experiences the numinous world (the world of spiritual forces, of darkness, of seeming chaos. Aguirre then discusses several patterns of this geometry.

Moral Monsters and Saints

Haybron, Daniel M. “Moral Monsters and Saints.” The Monist, vol. 85, no. 2, 2002, pp. 260–84, https://doi.org/10.5840/monist20028529.
Terrorists, torturers, politicians who declare war to further their own careers, genocidal ideologues, serial killers: all of these, and their acts, may fairly be labeled "evil." Haybron looks for features distinguishing those individuals labeled as evil from other morally imperfect agents.

The Looking-glass Self

Bankston, Carl L. “Looking Glass Self.” Sociology Basics. Salem Press, 2000. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=51646&site=ehost-live. P. 273.
Self identity can be significantly shaped by an individual's perceptions of the views that others have of him or her. To this extent, individuals conceive of themselves in terms of how they think they are ''mirrored" in others' minds. In turn, people's personalities mirror the evaluations that they imagine are occurring in the minds of others. The "looking glass self" is a metaphor for this phenomenon.

NOTES FROM THE PROFESSOR: Search this reference book alphabetically to find the “Looking Glass Self” article.

Silva, Carla Sofia, and Maria Manuela Calheiros. “‘(I Think) My Mother Thinks I Am, Therefore I Am.’ The Looking-Glass Self in Maltreated Children and Adolescents.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 37, no. 17–18, 2022, pp. NP15670–99, https://doi.o
Children and adolescents with maltreatment experiences show worse representations of themselves, as compared to their nonmaltreated counterparts. According to the looking-glass self hypothesis (LGSH), individuals’ self-representations (SR) stem from interactions with significant others, reflecting associations between what significant others think of them (i.e., actual appraisals), individuals’ perceptions of significant others’ appraisals of them (i.e., reflected appraisals), and SR. However, little is known about the looking-glass self process in maltreated children and adolescents. This multi-informant study aimed to test the LGSH within the mother–child relationship with children and adolescents with maltreatment experiences.

Confirmation Bias

"Confirmation bias." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 18 Aug. 2023. academic-eb-com.cerrocoso.idm.oclc.org/levels/collegiate/article/confirmation-bias/627535. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
Confirmation bias, people’s tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with their existing beliefs. This biased approach to decision making is largely unintentional, and it results in a person ignoring information that is inconsistent with their beliefs. These beliefs can include a person’s expectations in a given situation and their predictions about a particular outcome. People are especially likely to process information to support their own beliefs when an issue is highly important or self-relevant.

Optimism/Pessimism Biases

"Optimism/Pessimism." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, edited by William A. Darity, Jr., 2nd ed., vol. 6, Macmillan Reference USA, 2008, pp. 53-55. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3045301823/GVRL?u=cclc_cerroccc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&x
People differ in how they approach the world. Some individuals are optimistic and tend to be positive in their outlook and expectations for the future, whereas others are pessimistic and tend to have more negative expectations. Furthermore, these individual differences appear to be stable across time and context. The construct of optimism is in many ways rooted in folk wisdom, but scientific approaches have linked the concepts of optimism and pessimism to expectancy models of motivation. The optimism construct is therefore also grounded in decades of theory and research on motivation and on how such motivation is expressed through behavior.

Rites of Passage

"Rite of passage." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 10 Nov. 2020. academic-eb-com.cerrocoso.idm.oclc.org/levels/collegiate/article/rite-of-passage/109493. Accessed 1 Jan. 2024.
Rite of passage, ceremonial event, existing in all historically known societies, that marks the passage from one social or religious status to another. This article describes these rites among various societies throughout the world, giving greatest attention to the most common types of rites; explains their purposes from the viewpoints of the people observing the rites; and discusses their social, cultural, and psychological significance as seen by scholars seeking to gain an understanding of human behaviour.

NOTES FROM THE PROFESSOR: Look in particular to the preliminal, liminal, and postliminal stages of a rite. Is there a character in the story you are studying moving through these stages?

The Monstrous-Feminine

Creed, Barbara. The Monstrous-Feminine : Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis. Routledge, 1993.
In almost all critical writings on the horror film, woman is conceptualised only as victim. In The Monstrous-Feminine Barbara Creed challenges this patriarchal view by arguing that the prototype of all definitions of the monstrous is the female reproductive body.

NOTES FROM THE PROFESSOR: The is a book, so consider focusing on a particular chapter and subject within it to avoid taking on too much.

Evil, Monsters, and Dualism

Russell, Luke. “Evil, Monsters and Dualism.” Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, vol. 13, no. 1, 2010, pp. 45–58, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10677-009-9164-8.
In his book The Myth of Evil, Phillip Cole claims that the concept of evil divides normal people from inhuman, demonic and monstrous wrongdoers. Such monsters are found in fiction, Cole maintains, but not in reality. Thus, even if the concept of evil has the requisite form to be explanatorily useful, it will be of no explanatory use in the real world. My aims in this paper are to assess Cole's arguments for the claim that there are no actual evil persons, and, in so doing, to develop a clearer framework in which to think about evil personhood.

Social Identity Theory

"Social identity theory." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 16 Nov. 2020. academic-eb-com.cerrocoso.idm.oclc.org/levels/collegiate/article/social-identity-theory/604139. Accessed 1 Jan. 2024.
Social identity theory, in social psychology, the study of the interplay between personal and social identities. Social identity theory aims to specify and predict the circumstances under which individuals think of themselves as individuals or as group members. The theory also considers the consequences of personal and social identities for individual perceptions and group behaviour.

Stereotypes

"Stereotypes." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, edited by William A. Darity, Jr., 2nd ed., vol. 8, Macmillan Reference USA, 2008, pp. 136-139. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3045302611/GVRL?u=cclc_cerroccc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=f7
Stereotypes constitute a person’s set of expectations about a social group’s characteristics, including traits, behaviors, and roles. They are the categorical associations perceivers make to group members based on their membership. Although cognitive in form, stereotypes are interlocked with affect and behavior: Along with prejudice and discrimination, stereotypes make up the tripartite foundation for the breakdown of intergroup relations.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Harman, Gilbert. “Moral Philosophy Meets Social Psychology: Virtue Ethics and the Fundamental Attribution Error.” Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, vol. 99, 1999, pp. 315–31, https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9264.00062.
Ordinary moral thought often commits what social psychologists call 'the fundamental attribution error'. This is the error of ignoring situational factors and overconfidently assuming that distinctive behaviour or patterns of behaviour are due to an agent's distinctive character traits. In fact, there is no evidence that people have character traits (virtues, vices, etc.) in the relevant sense. Since attribution of character traits leads to much evil, we should try to educate ourselves and others to stop doing it.

Archetypes

Anne E. Duggan Ph.D, et al. Folktales and Fairy Tales [4 Volumes] : Traditions and Texts From Around the World [4 Volumes]. Greenwood, 2016. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1164330&site=ehost-live.

NOTE FROM THE PROFESSOR: See the “Archetype” entry in this reference book for a useful and detailed description of the concept.

Moon, Beverly. "Archetypes." Encyclopedia of Religion, edited by Lindsay Jones, 2nd ed., vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2005, pp. 457-460. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3424500188/GVRL?u=cclc_cerroccc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=14bc2cd7. Accessed 1 J
ARCHETYPES. The English word archetype derives from a Greek word that is prominent in the writings of religious thinkers during the Hellenistic period. In modern times, the term has been used to refer to fundamental structures in the human psyche as well as in religious life. In either sense, an archetype is a pattern that determines human experience (whether on a conscious or an unconscious level) and makes itself felt as something both vital and holy.

ENGL C101 Guide for Gary Enns: Analytical Tool Ideas

Analytical Tool Ideas for Essay 4