Detailed Information

Cited 0 time in webofscience Cited 0 time in scopus
Metadata Downloads

The Ethics of Sympathy and the Aesthetics of Spatial Composition in Middlemarch by George Eliot

Authors
Jeong, J.Kim, D.
Issue Date
2022
Publisher
English Language and Literature Association of Korea
Keywords
Middlemarch; Space; Sympathy; Visual metaphor; altruism
Citation
Journal of English Language and Literature, v.68, no.2, pp.423 - 447
Indexed
SCOPUS
KCI
Journal Title
Journal of English Language and Literature
Volume
68
Number
2
Start Page
423
End Page
447
URI
https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/144170
DOI
10.15794/jell.2022.68.2.010
ISSN
1016-2283
Abstract
This paper aims to understand how the leading heroine Dorothea's spaces reflect her inner life, especially her life shot through by feelings of pity and concern for someone else's misfortune. In the ever-changing times and spaces, the inner side of a person is a space in which numerous relationships continue to be combined, reconstructed, and balanced. In Middlemarch, an understanding of this space is best obtained through an analysis of the nature of the space where Dorothea is located. Her space as the material background is a place where her mindset is revealed through the presentation of her perceptions of it. This paper focuses on how Dorothea's social perceptions change in the process of growing from a self-centered person to an altruistic one who cherishes community life, based on a sympathy that supposes a moral faculty. To look into this, visual metaphors using light/darkness, together with ways Dorothea's space is constructed, are examined in detail. Attention is also drawn to conflicts in terms of visual perceptions (and attendant understanding) that occur between Dorothea and other characters, inclusive of the narrator. Certainly, these conflicts between different perceptions are not surprising because they arise from essential differences between members of the community, and yet, despite these differences, Dorothea tries to form sympathetic solidarity with others, which manifests itself in the author's compelling composition of her spaces. It is argued that, as illustrated in Dorothea's life story, understanding differences and forming a sympathetic solidarity are prerequisites for the spread of altruism or loving-kindness, which is deemed as the best possible way to keep egocentric society in harmony. © 2022 English Language and Literature Association of Korea. All Rights Reserved.
Files in This Item
There are no files associated with this item.
Appears in
Collections
College of Liberal Arts > Department of English Language and Literature > 1. Journal Articles

qrcode

Items in ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Related Researcher

Researcher KIM, DONG UK photo

KIM, DONG UK
문과대학 (영어영문학과)
Read more

Altmetrics

Total Views & Downloads

BROWSE