Two Ideas for Paper Proposals: Mind/Place in Rasselas Vs. Deferred Violence in GT
by Sophia Natasha Sunseri
For my final paper, I would like to further explore Rasselas, focusing on the relationship between mind and place (throughout my reading, I was constantly reminded of the following quote from Milton: “The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”). Within Johnson’s text, obtaining a broader knowledge of the external world seems paradoxically linked to retreating inward. Rasselas’ venture into the outside world, when he leaves the Happy Valley, is prefigured by “solitary walks and silent meditation” (6). His bouts of “solitary thought” and his eagerness to “retire[d] gladly to privacy” are what ultimately lead to him “picturing …to himself that world which he had never seen” (7).
The mind/place binary also comes into play when Imlac and Rasselas are discussing why Europeans are more “powerful” (21) than Asians and Africans. Imlac links Europe’s dominance to “knowledge” and wisdom (21) (and not physical prowess or might). In this instance, Imlac draws a connection between mental fortitude and colonialist expansion.
I wonder whether we could interpret the interplay between mind and place in biographical terms, based on what we discussed of Johnson’s life in class. It seems significant that as Johnson’s own mother was facing imminent death, Johnson had his protagonist flee from the Happy Valley, a Garden of Eden- type place, teeming with life. The text’s preoccupation with the mind (and reason) also seems relevant in light of Johnson’s own physical disabilities.
Another idea I had for a paper topic – wholly unrelated: exploring representations of deferred violence in Gulliver’s Travels, focusing on the Houhynmns and their inability to arrive at a definitive conclusion with regard to exterminating the Yahoos. I am particularly drawn to the formal and rhetorical functions of such representations. One way in which the Houhynms manage to seduce Gulliver –to be so persuasive—is through the repetition of deferred violence. Through these acts of repetition and deferral, Gulliver gradually becomes inculcated with the idea that the Yahoos are less-than the Houhynmns and somehow deserving of whatever violence they may have enacted against them.
Does one topic seem more engaging/original than the other?
Stephen is right. Both seem great, and you seem to be further along on the Johnson project. But the deferred violence project works with your ultimate scholarly project, non? To be discussed tomorrow!
Hey Sophia,
Both topics seem pretty engaging to me, although its clear you have a much stronger starting point with the Rasselas topic (seeing as how much you already have to say about it). There’s a lot of different (fascinating) threads in that topic — English colonialism/imperialism, the biographical stuff about maternity and death, and Johnson’s disability. One of those could give you a clear entry point into this text and secondary material. For me personally, the East/West stuff is super interesting, especially considering what we know will happen with English imperialism. Johnson had to be aware of all the important knowledge/science that came out of the Arab world (I’m thinking 15th-16th centuries), and it’s interesting that — as you point out — Imlac is linking European exceptionalism to “wisdom,” and not knowledge per se (i.e. it’s what is done with knowledge that’s important). And this is not even to mention the “Eastern” setting of the work… (as inauthentic as it is, as per class discussion)
The deferred violence in Gulliver’s Travels idea maybe strikes me as more “original.” I really don’t know anything about GT criticism, however, but it’s a specific enough idea, one that, to me, has contemporary importance, especially considering the bureaucracy of war that we now live under. To be a part of tracing that idea (and again, I have no idea what that looks like) would be pretty cool. The genocide piece we read would seem like an extremely useful resource to find more sources, too. Hope this helps!