Being of Two Minds in Eleventh-Century China: Affective Bimodality in Guo Xi and Su Shi
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Curie Virág
Abstract
This chapter examines what I call affective bimodality in the writings of two prominent eleventh century Chinese literati, Guo Xi (c. 1020-1090) and Su Shi (1037-1101). Although the idea of perspectival “wandering” had long been a feature of Daoism-inspired conceptions of enhanced cognition, in the eleventh century, the possibility of occupying dual, and often multiple, standpoints became a prominent feature of philosophical, literary and aesthetic writings, as well as in artistic practice. Outlining the distinct ways in which these two thinkers conceptualized the possibilities and tensions of affective, evaluative and perceptual engagement and detachment, this chapter investigates why affective bimodality as a feature of our relationship to the world might have been such a preoccupation for these Song Dynasty figures and how their distinct ways of construing this idea might offer alternative possibilities for thinking about the ways in which different affective states can come together in a single subjectivity.
Abstract
This chapter examines what I call affective bimodality in the writings of two prominent eleventh century Chinese literati, Guo Xi (c. 1020-1090) and Su Shi (1037-1101). Although the idea of perspectival “wandering” had long been a feature of Daoism-inspired conceptions of enhanced cognition, in the eleventh century, the possibility of occupying dual, and often multiple, standpoints became a prominent feature of philosophical, literary and aesthetic writings, as well as in artistic practice. Outlining the distinct ways in which these two thinkers conceptualized the possibilities and tensions of affective, evaluative and perceptual engagement and detachment, this chapter investigates why affective bimodality as a feature of our relationship to the world might have been such a preoccupation for these Song Dynasty figures and how their distinct ways of construing this idea might offer alternative possibilities for thinking about the ways in which different affective states can come together in a single subjectivity.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements VII
- Contents IX
- List of Figures XI
- Introduction 1
- Ambivalent Affects in Experimental Psychology 29
- Mixed Emotions in Emotion Communication: A Chimera in my Brain 45
- Mixed Emotions and the Climate Crisis in Contemporary Anglophone Fiction 63
- Ubi sunt? On the Varieties and Mixed Pleasures of Poignancy 79
- Being of Two Minds in Eleventh-Century China: Affective Bimodality in Guo Xi and Su Shi 97
- Explaining (Away?) Conflicting Emotions: A View from Sanskrit Aesthetic Phenomenology 115
- Odi et Amo: On Some Ancient Readings of Mixed Affect in Catullus 135
- Bittersweet History: Cicero on Mixed Affect in Experiencing Literature 155
- Ambivalent Feelings towards the Lupercalia: Discussing Civilisation in Republican and Early Imperial Rome 171
- Bibliography 187
- List of Contributors 205
- Index 207
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements VII
- Contents IX
- List of Figures XI
- Introduction 1
- Ambivalent Affects in Experimental Psychology 29
- Mixed Emotions in Emotion Communication: A Chimera in my Brain 45
- Mixed Emotions and the Climate Crisis in Contemporary Anglophone Fiction 63
- Ubi sunt? On the Varieties and Mixed Pleasures of Poignancy 79
- Being of Two Minds in Eleventh-Century China: Affective Bimodality in Guo Xi and Su Shi 97
- Explaining (Away?) Conflicting Emotions: A View from Sanskrit Aesthetic Phenomenology 115
- Odi et Amo: On Some Ancient Readings of Mixed Affect in Catullus 135
- Bittersweet History: Cicero on Mixed Affect in Experiencing Literature 155
- Ambivalent Feelings towards the Lupercalia: Discussing Civilisation in Republican and Early Imperial Rome 171
- Bibliography 187
- List of Contributors 205
- Index 207
