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Lauren Straley
ENG 320C
Dr. Johnson
22 November 2013
A Lustrous Beam
The construction and evolution of the human mind and cognition occurs through
simulations and processes both internal and external to the body. The inter mingling and
overlapping of these progressions stimulates the evolution of the human race. The study of
modern literature is heavily endowed and encoded with the several layers of complexity that
the mind and the mind’s extension subsume. The primary focus of the modern canon is to
prove that human consciousness and character are subject to bursts of change and constant
evolution to present circumstances. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf is an exemplary novel
within the modern realm that allocates emphasis upon the individual stream of consciousness,
the mode by which thoughts are constructed, and how those intrapersonal spheres are
executed and subject to alteration within daily life. Bolstered by the study of neural
development, the modern literature can be viewed from the vantage point of neurologists and
the study of the human mind. Antonio Damasio’s Self Comes to Mind and Andy Clark’s
Supersizing the Mind shed sonic light upon the development and sustentation of the human
mind and its interaction with the extra bodily world. Through the combination of neuroscience
and modern literature a voyage of perception and lustrous consciousness will unfold.
The emergence and edifice of the human psyche commences within the brain. Antonio
Damasio’s primary theory is that the mind comes to the brain and the self comes to the mind.
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He states that in order for consciousness to occur the subject must be in a state of wakefulness
and the self function must be intact. The characters in Mrs. Dalloway are all awake because the
book’s plot line is span over the course of one day; therefore every character’s mind is subject
to true consciousness and has the ultimate ability to interact with the world around them. The
self function allows for the mind to actively engage within the extra bodily world and it
becomes a step in the formation of the mind which is a result of a step-wise progression of
complexity within biological idiom. Damasio argues that through the formation of the self, the
mind possesses a function for mapping images, and these specific images are the triggers for
varying emotions, “the images in our minds are the brain’s momentary maps of everything and
of anything, inside our body and around it, actual or previously recorded in memory” (74). The
brain’s ability to map and associate images within every moment of human life allows for the
recollection and triggering of emotions in daily life, such as the construction of the self through
the vantage point of love.
The self is generated in three stages: protoself, coreself, and autobiographical self. The
protoself can be defined as “an integral collection of separate neural patterns that map
moment-by-moment, the most stable aspects of an organism’s physical structure” (24). The
protoself is a direct experience and the basin for primordial feelings which occur
“spontaneously and continuously whenever one is awake; they provide a direct experience of
the living body, wordless, unadorned, and connected to nothing but sheer existence” (22).
Human emotion is built on primordial feelings and it is the way that the body (through images)
and the brain (through the self) become connected, and example of the construction of the self
can be viewed through Peter Walsh’s love for Clarissa Dalloway. Upon Peter Walsh’s return
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from India he instantly pays a visit to Clarissa and does not fail to recall his undying love for her,
“but it was delicious to hear her say that-my dear Peter!” (47) The instantaneous
uncontrollable feeling that Peter experienced when he saw Clarissa was a direct example of
primordial, or initial, feelings. His emotion could not be controlled; love was merely the
propellant for the ultimate image of happiness and joy. The feelings were associated with
images that linked the body and the brain together. The feeling of love therefore triggers the
image of Peter and Clarissa together as a couple. The mind associates emotions with images in
order to connect to the world around it. Peter’s initial feeling upon seeing Clarissa was that of
love and the image of their mutual affection for one another, but that first emotion then brings
upon more thought and speculation leading to the development of the coreself.
The coreself is the “action and relationship between the object and the organism” (24).
The coreself modifies the protoself and the primordial feelings and this shift occurs when
Clarissa reminds Peter of their past relationship and its downfall, “it almost broke my heart too,
he thought; and was overcome with his own grief…I was more unhappy than I’ve ever been
since” (48). The alteration of Peter’s feelings was triggered through the active interaction he
had with Clarissa. The coreself modified the original feeling of love and replaced it with the
hurtful actions from the past. The active interaction with Clarissa opened the door for his brain
to create more images and vividly recall more feelings throughout the span of their interaction.
Every emotion is linked to an image within the brain and all images and emotions are open to
subjugation. The cycle of images and emotions is continuous throughout an individual’s state
of wakeful consciousness. In Damasio’s terms the protoself, primordial feelings, and the
coreself comprise of the “material me” or the way in which feelings are brought about and
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altered throughout the course of human interaction. The final component of gaining a full self
function is the autobiographical self.
The autobiographical self is defined “in terms of biographical knowledge pertaining to
the past as well as the anticipated future” (24). The autobiographical self is a combination of
the multiple images concocted by the brain and the action those images cause outside of the
body. Peter becomes haunted by the past of his rejection from Clarissa and questions why he
must relive his agony, “why make him think of it again? Why make him suffer, when she had
tortured him so infernally, why?” (49) The construction of Peter’s self is at its climax because
he can recall the past and conjure up the emotions and images that were connected to that
moment in his life. The constant repetition of the term “why” exemplifies the sheer pain that
Clarissa had caused him and illustrates the depth to which his mind attempted to erase those
images and emotions. Negative images coincide with negative emotions therefore the
reminiscent images of Peter’s heartbreak stimulate negative sentiments within his mind. The
“self” of Peter’s love was plunged into the hollowest depths of his conscious and subconscious
thought, and became reincarnated through the reconstruction of his self function.
Along with the associations from the past, Peter and Clarissa’s feelings can be
determined through their anticipated future, “she looked at Peter Walsh; her look, passing
through all that time and that emotion; reached him doubtfully; settled on him tearfully; and
rose and fluttered away, as a bird touches a branch and rises and flutters away. Quite simply
she wiped her eyes” (49). The line conveys that the powerful bond shared between the two
almost lovers could never be broken. No matter how much time passed or will pass, Clarissa’s
look would always bring Peter back to the glorious times when he pledged his love to her.
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Peter initially did not want to accept the perpetual serenity and pleasure of Clarissa’s gaze as
demonstrated through the abstract nature by which Virginia Woolf allows Peter to experience
her look. There is a parallel between Clarissa’s gaze and the formulation of the self. One
cannot tangibly feel nor express the self under its formation, it is just a natural process that
“touches” and “flies away” like the bird of Clarissa’s eyes. The visible sign of the
autobiographical formation lies within Clarissa’s motion to dry her eyes. Her body recognized
the complete formulation of the self function and all of the past images and the emotions that
were linked to those images penetrated her consciousness and flooded her mind with thoughts
and sentiments. Damasio states that the autobiographical self generates the “social me” and
the “spiritual me” which can be defined through ways that one interacts with other people and
also how one develops an inner sense of reflective consciousness as demonstrated through the
meeting of Peter and Clarissa. The three process of the self (protoself, coreself,
autobiographical self) allows for a higher level of thinking as well as neural processing.
The self function brings about the knowledge of the positive and negative attributes
within a physical organism. According to Damasio, in the human body the awareness and
comprehension between superior and awful is determined by homeostasis. Homeostasis is
“the tendency for the body to regulate internal processes by stabilizing the health and function
of an organism regardless of the external world” (27). The main idea presented through
homeostasis is bodily recognition and alteration in order to maintain stability. Damasio
presents that humans possess the drive for happiness, and they would not intentionally place
themselves in harmful situations. Virginia Woolf exemplifies and reaffirms as well as undercuts
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and undermines this theory presented by Damasio through Richard’s inability to explicitly state
that he loves his wife and Peter’s return to Clarissa from India.
Richard Dalloway never explicitly states his love, yet he expresses his affections “in so
many words.” Richard does hold a dear place in his heart for his wife, and articulates his love
through kind gestures but never in words, “here he was walking across London to say to
Clarissa in so many words that he loved her. Which one never does say, he thought. Partly
one’s lazy; partly one’s shy” (135). Richard is protecting himself by not putting himself in a
vulnerable state for heartbreak. Socio-cultural homeostasis, which is stimulated by a conscious
drive for the betterment of the body, drives Richard’s thoughts and forces him to engage in
actions that will keep him safe, “but he could not bring himself to say he loved her” (138).
Richard and Clarissa’s marriage is successful because neither of them takes the risks that
consuming and passionate love calls for. They do not argue and have no reason to be upset
with one another. The safe simplicity of their love, through homeostasis, allows them to lead a
reasonably happy and tolerable life. Clarissa condones the type of “love” that they possess and
reaffirms the idea of homeostasis through the assertion of her independence, “for one would
not part with it oneself, or take it, against his will, from one’s husband, without losing one’s
independence, one’s self-respect-something, after all, priceless” (140). Clarissa is also not
willing to commit to an intense love with Richard because to do that would force her to lose
herself. She already engaged in such a love with Peter and it dramatically ceased, so she is
protecting her heart and engaging in self-preservation. Through the safe and practical nature of
Richard’s love for Clarissa, Damasio’s theory of homeostasis and human happiness becomes
validated, yet Woolf questions the theory within Peter’s return from India.
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Peter experiences a ghastly heartbreak from his one true love Clarissa and yet he
returns to their hometown and directly visits her. He intentionally places himself in the
situation to experience his loathing disdainful calamity all over again. Why would one put
oneself in a purposely disastrous position, possibly for the hope and dream that the outcome
could be different? Peter simply longs and yearns for a deep love, “love is the most important
thing in the world and no woman possibly understood it” (142). The idea that no one else could
understand parallels the idea of homeostasis and the formulation of consciousness, because it
is a personal experience that occurs within the individual brain. The formulation and
contemplation of Peter’s love can only be processed and rationalized within his own mind and
no one can assert the final reason for his continuous ability to offer his heart. Woolf, through
the character of Peter, asserts the idea of the formulation of the self and the idea of individual
consciousness through undermining Damasio’s claim that humans always place themselves in
situations that are best for them.
The self function and consciousness emerge from simplicity and delves into the
complexity of neural processing. Through Peter Walsh’s character, Woolf exemplifies the
formulation of the self and the interactions with others through images and emotions. The
images and mapping done by the brain allows for the relationship between the organism and
the object. The extension in processing begins with the function of the self, and the emergence
of the self into the mind. The next step in the execution of consciousness is the extension of the
mind into the extra-bodily world.
Andy Clark focuses his study upon the mind’s extension and interaction with the
external world. Mrs. Dalloway is based on the thoughts and emotions of its main characters
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and how their thoughts interact with everyone they experience in daily life. Clarissa’s character
most superbly exemplifies the idea of the extended theory that Andy Clark presents. The
extended theory culminates the forces of culture and environment as resources for the mind’s
exploration in the world external to the body, “and she felt quite continuously a sense of their
existence; and she felt what a waste; and she felt what a pity; and she felt if only they could be
brought together; so she did it” (142). Clarissa explores her thoughts and is connected to both
Richard and Peter. She can feel their thoughts and understand their relationship without words
merely though glances, and nonverbal communication. Within this thought, she attempts to
find a way to bring both Richard and Peter together. According to Clark this extension could be
possible, for if both men place their thoughts on her, maybe their minds could too be focused
upon each other. Human minds posses the capability to interact and intertwine with many
different aspects within the world around it.
Clarissa’s mind also holds a profound extension with Peter. Simple conversations with
Peter flood the impulsive nature of her thoughts and attempt to persuade her actions, “take me
with you, Clarissa thought impulsively, as if he were starting directly upon some great voyage;
and then, next moment, it was as if the five acts of a play that had been very exciting and
moving were now over” (55). Her mind and emotions become linked with Peter’s thoughts
during that situation. She has undergone the formulation of herself and then her mind is
extending into the relationships and personal interactions around her. It can be proved that
her mind interacted with his when he states, “and it was awfully strange, he thought, how she
still had the power, as she came tinkling, rustling, still had the power as she came across the
room, to make the moon, which he detested, rise at Bourton on the terrace in the summer sky”
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(55). The power of Clarissa’s influence captivates Peter and her mind can always engage in an
interaction with his. The images and emotions of their minds force their perpetual ability for
contact.
The neural contact between Clarissa and Peter is an example of Clark’s description of
active externalism. Active externalism is the use of culture and environment to stimulate and
ignite human cognition as a whole. The environment and particular cultural norms play a
significant part within the extension of the mind and the formation of human relationships.
The intimate setting of Clarissa’s home allowed for the ex-lovers true feelings to emerge and
allow for their minds to connect without many distractions. Active externalism allows for the
use of the close-knit environment to fuse Clarissa and Peter’s thoughts together. The focal
point of active externalism and the extension of the mind is that the brain and the mind
development are not confided to the internal bodily structure; rather they can work outside the
body and connect with many aspects of personal environment and culture.
The study of neural processing and formation offers a fresh outlook upon the study and
deconstruction of literature. It allows for the reader to delve into the construction of thought
and emotion which can lead to the way in which humans formulate and sustain relationships.
Antonio Damasio presents the creation of the self function and presents the mapping
capabilities of the brain along with the emotions that accompany the produced images. Andy
Clark expresses the idea of the extended mind and the brains capability to engage not only
within the internal body but also be engaged within the external world. The pivotal modern
novel Mrs. Dalloway can be read through the mold of neuroscience and it reinforces the
perceptible thought formation and sensatory interactions. The knowledge of the neurological
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formulations can shed light on the way that the characters within the novel interact with others
as well as themselves. The formulation of consciousness allows for a lustrous beam of
knowledge and perception of the self and the world beyond.