7. Transitionality and the Obsession with Form

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter I
2. Foreword VII
3. Contents IX
4. Introduction: Processes and Products: Claims, Goals, Risks 1
5. Part I. Consciousness Studies: Neurosciences and ‘Literature’
6. 1. The Transitionality of Consciousness 15
7. 2. Universalism vs. Particularism 23
8. 3. Patterns of Consciousness, Language, Discourse 31
9. 4. James, James and the Structure of Fluctuations 37
10. 5. Neurobiology: Intricacies and Implications 49
11. 6. Dramatic Narratives 62
12. 7. Transitionality and the Obsession with Form 76
13. 8. Existential Impressionism and Cultural Status: Dorothy Richardson (1873–1957) 90
14. 9. An Interlude, Or, From Richardson to Richardson 102
15. Part II. Consciousness and History: Biographical ‘Novels’ and their ‘Liberal’ Extensions
16. 1. Biography on the Rebound 115
17. 2. Biographical Patterns, Models of Consciousness and Historical Significance in Dickens 127
18. 3. Diagnostic Power and Practical Relevance: Some Further Steps 132
19. 4. The Pseudo-Freedom of Consciousness and its Cost-Benefit Analysis in the Twentieth Century 141
20. 5. The RAF, a Twentieth-Century Reality Shift, and a Contemporary German ‘Novel’ 155
21. 6. The Drama of ‘Liberalism’ 164
22. 7. What Does Enlightenment Enlighten Us About? 171
23. 8. The Paradox of Liberty and Authority 185
24. Part III. A Case Study: Chaotic Consciousness and Catastrophic History, Discordant Evolution and Political Overreaction: Oswald and Nicholas Mosley
25. 1. Catastrophe Practice: Frameworks and Presuppositions ‒ From Individuality to Scripts 191
26. 2. Catastrophe Practice: Routines ‒ Individuality Manufactured and Medialized 197
27. 3. Hopeful Monsters: Discordant Evolution and Steps towards Mutation 203
28. 4. Hysterical Consciousness and the Beginnings of Institutional Degeneration in Autobiographical Writings 210
29. 5. The Failure of Rules and the Unleashing of Hysterical Consciousness: Oswald Mosley and Fascism 214
30. 6. Tentative Conclusions 219
31. Works Cited 221
32. Index 232