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Laura Otis, "Banned Emotions: How Metaphors Can Shape What People Feel" (Oxford UP, 2019)

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May 27, 2025

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Laura Otis

Laura Otis, a neuroscientist-turned-literary scholar, explores how metaphors shape human emotions in her insightful work. She discusses the cultural influences that stigmatize feelings like self-pity and anger, drawing connections from classic literature to modern media. The conversation dives into how societal norms dictate emotional expression and regulation, particularly for marginalized groups. Otis uses literary characters from Dostoevsky to modern films to illustrate the tensions between personal feelings and cultural expectations, revealing the political nature of emotion.

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ANECDOTE

Breakup Sparks Emotional Inquiry

Laura Otis wrote Banned Emotions after a painful breakup where people kept telling her how she should feel.
This personal experience led her to study the social causes and politics behind emotion rules.

insights

INSIGHT

Constructed Emotion Theory Explored

Emotions reflect biological, cultural, and learned aspects, with Lisa Feldman Barrett's constructed emotion theory emphasizing learning through language.
People form emotional categories much like color concepts, shaped by culture and social interactions.

insights

INSIGHT

Unfavorable Metaphors Shape Emotions

Negative emotions like self-pity are culturally depicted with unfavorable bodily metaphors such as "holding on" or "wallowing."
These metaphors portray such feelings as physical immobility and filth, reinforcing social disapproval.

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Understanding Emotions: Research and Sociopolitical Dynamics

This interdisciplinary book breaks taboos by exploring emotions in which people are said to 'indulge' self-pity, prolonged crying, chronic anger, grudge-bearing, bitterness, and spite. By focusing on metaphors for these emotions in classic novels, self-help books, and popular films, Banned Emotions exposes their cultural and religious roots. The book argues that emotion regulation is a political as well as a biological issue, affecting not only which emotions can be expressed, but who can express them, when, and how.

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Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

Great Expectations is a classic novel by Charles Dickens that chronicles the life of Pip, a young orphan living in the marshes of Kent. The story begins with Pip's encounter with an escaped convict, Abel Magwitch, which sets off a chain of events that changes his life. Pip inherits a large fortune from an anonymous benefactor, which he uses to become a gentleman. However, his journey is marked by his unrequited love for Estella, the adopted daughter of the eccentric Miss Havisham, and his eventual discovery that his benefactor is not who he expected. The novel explores themes of social class, love, rejection, and the search for true identity, set against the backdrop of early 19th-century England.

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The metamorphosis

Franz Kafka

The Metamorphosis tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who wakes up to find himself transformed into a huge insect. The novella delves into the themes of alienation, as Gregor becomes physically and emotionally isolated from his family and society. Despite his new form, Gregor retains his human thoughts and feelings, leading to a profound internal conflict. The story also explores the impact of Gregor's transformation on his family, particularly his sister Grete, who undergoes her own metamorphosis from a girl to a woman. The novella is a classic example of literary modernism, examining the absurdity and meaninglessness of modern life.

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Mrs. Dalloway

Virginia Woolf

Published in 1925, 'Mrs. Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf explores the lives of its characters over a single day in post-World War I London. The novel centers around Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class housewife, as she prepares to host a party. Her day is punctuated by a visit from Peter Walsh, an old suitor, and her reflections on her past choices. The narrative also follows Septimus Warren Smith, a veteran struggling with shell shock and mental illness, whose story parallels and contrasts with Clarissa's. The novel delves into themes of time, identity, social class, and the psychological impacts of war. Woolf's stream-of-consciousness style provides a deep insight into the characters' inner lives, highlighting the complexities of human experience and the societal norms of the time.

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Aeneid

Virgil

James Howard Mantinband

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Notes from Underground

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Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Notes from Underground" is a novella that delves into the mind of an unnamed narrator, a bitter and alienated individual who rails against reason and societal norms. The work is considered a precursor to existentialist literature, exploring themes of isolation, nihilism, and the human condition. Dostoevsky's masterful use of first-person narration allows readers to experience the narrator's turbulent thoughts and emotions. The novella's exploration of free will and the complexities of human psychology continues to resonate with readers today. Its influence on literature and philosophy is undeniable, shaping the works of later writers and thinkers.

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Ugly Feelings

Sian Nagai

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The Cultural Politics of Emotion

Sara Ahmed

Sara Ahmed's "The Cultural Politics of Emotion" is a seminal work in feminist theory that explores the intricate relationship between emotions, power dynamics, and social justice. Ahmed challenges traditional understandings of emotions as purely personal experiences, arguing instead that they are deeply embedded in cultural and political contexts. The book examines how emotions are used to shape social relations, maintain power structures, and produce inequalities. Ahmed's analysis delves into concepts like fear, disgust, shame, and love, demonstrating how these emotions are deployed to create and reinforce social hierarchies. Ultimately, the book offers a powerful critique of dominant power structures and provides a framework for understanding and challenging emotional injustices.

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A Room with a View

E. M. Forster

'A Room with a View' tells the story of Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman, as she experiences a transformative journey in Italy. Set against the backdrop of Edwardian society, the novel explores themes of love, social class, and personal liberation. Lucy finds herself torn between the restrictive conventions of her upbringing and her growing attraction to the unconventional George Emerson. Forster's narrative contrasts the beauty and freedom of Italy with the stifling atmosphere of English society. Through Lucy's experiences, the novel celebrates the importance of embracing passion and living authentically.

Who benefits and who loses when emotions are described in particular ways? How do metaphors such as "hold on" and "let go" affect people's emotional experiences? Banned Emotions: How Metaphors Can Shape What People Feel (Oxford UP, 2019), written by neuroscientist-turned-literary scholar Laura Otis, draws on the latest research in neuroscience and psychology to challenge popular attempts to suppress certain emotions. This interdisciplinary book breaks taboos by exploring emotions in which people are said to "indulge" self-pity, prolonged crying, chronic anger, grudge-bearing, bitterness, and spite. By focusing on metaphors for these emotions in classic novels, self-help books, and popular films, Banned Emotions exposes their cultural and religious roots.

Examining works by Dante, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Forster, and Woolf in parallel with Bridesmaids, Fatal Attraction, and Who Moved My Cheese?, Banned Emotions traces pervasive patterns in the ways emotions are represented that can make people so ashamed of their feelings, they may stifle emotions they need to work through. The book argues that emotion regulation is a political as well as a biological issue, affecting not only which emotions can be expressed, but who can express them, when, and how.

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