My journey beyond the fifth sense.

The Nineteenth Century gives me real insights into human and social issues that are still current in the 21st century. Summative entry

By studying 19th century English literature and all of its values and personalities, I have gained a new perspective into human and social issues that are still relevant today. My new understanding of the delicate balance of nature, nurture, society, and sense of self allow me to deeply understand my intrinsic and intangible realm of being. 

The 19th century unit has shown me the tumultuous journey of spirituality and tolerance which were usually misunderstood or brushed aside due to the rise of rationalisation, societies superficial obsession with the material and the rise of technology and institutions. Through the likes of David Hume, Thomas Paine and John Locke, I experienced a feeling of true disillusionment and disappointment as the decision makers in our society are likened to think only of what can be proved by facts and laws and science.  Thankfully the revolutionary Romantics were able to comfort me, and reminded me to ster clear from my Blakeian “mind forg’d mancacles” rather, draw inspiration from my unlimited senses and discover the majestic and magical elements of the natural world. We were taught through the likes of Coleridge and Wordsworth to Liberate our minds from the constrains of rationalism and politics that went with it and ways of way that went with it, that restrictiveness is obstructing us from human nature. We must value nature and the natural as superior to whatever is man made, which I explore in my first blog post.

As Rousseau expressed “human civilisation has caused more damage than goodness”. Indeed,  the most important of the Romantic “lessons in living” was to make sure we got out of our heads and to stop searching and looking rather, to implement ‘wise passiveness‘; or we would risk a fate like Matthew Arnold’s Oxford compatriots in the Scholar Gypsy. I enjoyed this part of the unit, it really affected me deeply and even today I seek to practise wise passiveness in my own life.

Then came the facts and learnedness of the 19th century, whereby the qualities of humankind were seen as intolerable functions of an already less-than-perfect working and “thinking” machine. The harsh realities of the times were brought to life at the virtual visit to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in paintings like. Frederic Lord Leighton “Cymon & Iphigenia” 1884 and Ford Madox Brown, “Chaucer at the Court of Edward III” 1847. These paintings were perfectly reflected in the description of the condition of England Charles Dickens paints in “Hard Times”. Dickens artful language encapsulates the rather morbid values and perspectives that plagued society. The effects of this condition on an individual are portrayed in my letter to Louisa. Through the response of my peers in their peer reviews on this post, it is noteworthy to recognise that the innate need to ‘escape’ society is still present today. Personally, I love to immerse myself in nature and begin to think and imagine freely, it always boosts my mood. 

Finally, my last creative venture for 19th century literature rather ironically discusses death. I was inspired by Tolstoy’s ‘Death of Ivan Ilitch’ and Arnold’s ‘Gipsy Scholar’, as I read these with my  new perspective; romantic goggles if you will, I have been able to garner a new understanding of death. So perhaps,  as I write about death as a new beginning, and the new spiritual experiences that can occur in the face of impending mortality. Death is a rebirth, which signifies my renewed understanding of contemporary life through 19th century literature. 

This unit has taught me about what it means to be human in the 21st century, and how to grapple with and surpass the limitations of our time such as; the rise of technology and the pressure to live within the fast paced production based society build on conformity that restricts human spirit.  Despite feeling honoured to be able to understand and grapple with these concepts, I cannot help but feel disillusioned by our society. Capitalist society fosters greed, judgement and materialism, these consequences restrict our divine creative spirit and makes it hard to share our truth in fear of marginalisation and embarrassment.  Indeed, it is paramount to not feel overwhelmed by the knowledge we don’t know, rather be grateful for the perceptions we do understand, and with that sense of gratitude, it is important to remember  that it is important to look up and be present in reality. By doing this unit I have gained an onus to share my knowledge to liberate people who don’t understand this sense of self. But can I do this for others or is this a individual journey? It is important to maintain a great imagination to help us create our own coping spectrum amidst all of the pressures in the world.