This is a very interesting topic because it is a very difficult thing to try and understand emotions and feelings. Some make it their life's work to try and understand human emotion and reasoning, but one of the most important things we have to learn is that there are things beyond or mind and beyond our understanding. The mind has its limits, but we also have the will to push past those limits and explore the elements of the universe that are beyond us and human beings.

If every memory was critical to the shaping of your mind, you personal perspective, and ultimately who you are, we would remember a lot more than we actually do. Some of our most important memories are the ones that made us feel something, whether it was pure excitement, depression, utter exhaustion, or true happiness. All of these left an impact and helped shaped who we are. After time, we may begin to lose those memories, but our mind has already been changed by them, and that impact will never leave us.

The differences in language, education levels, customs, and cultures make it difficult to communicate with each other, but we must remember that we are all human. The most basic form of communication of nonverbal communication. We see this through facial expression. Facial expression is a universal language that allows our minds to wordlessly communicate and connect ourselves to others. This is another example of the mind and body connection.

Assessing who a person is based on their facial features can be very difficult. An individual has no control over what their face looks like as this is determined by their genes. The part they can control is their facial features, but once again, these can be misleading because you can make a mask out of your own face by expressing one emotion but feeling the opposite.

This links the mind to the physical body. Our mind takes in our observations and sensations of the physical world and projects our emotions and feelings by using our facial muscles to change facial expressions to ones that appropriately match the emotion. We must use our physical body to communicate what our mind has concluded.

The brain is often referenced in halves, the right side and the left side, the creative side and the logical side. "A mass of knowledge" seems to align with the logical side, where rationale resides apart from whim and chance.

Experience is what shapes the mind, the way we think, and the way we perceive the world. We use our sensation to experience the world and reflection allows us to form questions reach conclusions.

In this image, we see both a mask and a veil. When the mask is removed, the false persona is also removed, but the veil represents a person's guard that remains. There are not portraying an unreal version of themselves, but they are also preventing others from seeing their true self.

Haywood, Eliza. “Fantomina: or, Love in a Maze,” Secret Histories, Novels, and Poems. 1725

Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. 1689.

"rapturous, adj." OED Online, Oxford University Press, December 2019, www.oed.com/view/Entry/158240. Accessed 12 February 2020.

Smith, Adam. The Theory of Moral Sentiments. 1759.

"wealth, n." OED Online, Oxford University Press, December 2019, www.oed.com/view/Entry/226575. Accessed 12 February 2020.

With the crumbling foundation in British society in the eighteenth century, the social mentality was fighting against itself as the focus began turning towards the emotions of the individual. The embodiment of this shift is noticiable in the thought process of Beauplaisir, specifically as he noticed, “Her Tears, however, and the Destraction she appeared in, after the ruinous Extasy was past, as it heighten'd his Wonder, so it abated his Satisfaction.” In this moment, a glimmer of his humanity is visible, but it appears to come across as mere confusion. Locke believes, “Of this kind is pity or compassion, the emotion which we feel for the misery of others, when we either see it, or are made to conceive it in a very lively manner. That we often derive sorrow from the sorrow of others, is a matter of fact too obvious to require any instances to prove it.” One might believe Beauplasir would be more receptive, but he still retains the old mentality, and is concerned about the physical pleasures and his personal gain. Beauplaisir “could not imagine for what Reason a Woman, who, if she intended not to be a Mistress, had counterfeited the Part of one, and taken so much Pains to engage him, should lament a Consequence which she could not but expect.” This line brings him back to the original mentality of the passage with him being detached and unperceptive. This characterization of revealing only small hints of a receptive man highly contrasts what is expected and gives him a mysterious air that has yet to be discovered, much like the idea of the mind in the eighteenth century.

With the use of the word “rapturous,” which is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “ecstatic” and “extremely enthusiastic,” the reader gains another reason to view Beauplaisir’s character as the opposition to humanity. Locke wrote, “By reflection then, in the following part of this discourse, I would be understood to mean, that notice which the mind takes of its own operations, and the manner of them, by reason whereof there come to be ideas of these operations in the understanding.” Beauplaisir is excited by Fantomina’s fear and distress and sees her as just another conquest. He fails to embody this mentality of reflecting upon what has just been observed and acting according to what the situation warrants. This foil to Fantomina brings contrasting character values to the text allowing it to showcase the varieties of perspectives during this changing time.

Beauplaisir encompasses the undercut to the changing mentality of the eighteenth century as he disregards emotion and humanity in a time when forward thinkers focused on observation and reflection. As Fantomina confesses to playing the role of a prostitute rather than truly living the lifestyle in a rash attempt to maintain her virginity, Beauplaisir treats her as nothing more than an object there for his use: “In fine, she was undone; and he gain'd a Victory, so highly rapturous, that had he known over whom, scarce could he have triumphed more.” He seems to ignore the frantic behavior she is exhibiting while he only thinks of the promises of pleasure she made to him, but as Locke said, “All ideas come from sensation or reflection,” and one would assume he would have stepped back and allowed Fantomina a chance to address her rising panic.

Beauplaisir contradicts the emotional mentality of the time through his rough and insensitive treatment of Fantomina. After forcing himself onto her, Beauplaisir attempts to console her, pulling a “Purse of Gold” from his pocket. Fantomina angrily exclaims, “Can all the Wealth you are possessed of, make a Reparation for my loss of Honour?” At first glance, the use of the word “wealth” seems to reference Beauplaisir’s material wealth and position in society, but the Oxford English Dictionary suggests an alternate definition for the word: “spiritual well-being”. Fantomina’s mention of his perceived wealth, or his moral character, suggests it is merely perceived by society. If he possessed a high moral character, he would have respected the absence of consent to sexual activity, but he lacks the sympathy that brings about an awareness of others’ mental states. Adam Smith wrote, “Sympathy, though its meaning was, perhaps, originally the same, may now, however, without much impropriety, be made use of to donate our fellow-feeling with any passion whatever.” Beauplaisir heavily contrasts Fantomina’s character because of his inability to mentally insert himself in Fantomina’s situation and view his actions from her perspective.

When Fantomina entered the theater on the second night, she wore a “mask” presenting herself as a woman of another world, but behind closed doors, her mask was ripped away. The figures in the piece titled “The Perfume Seller” by Ca' Rezzonico are adorned with masks and voluminous coverings creating a similar facade to conceal their true identity. The idea of hiding one’s true identity seems to contradict the idea of the novel and its ability to reveal the inner workings of an individual. “Fantomina” is created to showcase the thought process of a woman as she cons a man through her skills of manipulation and self-alteration but does so through a character that hides her true self. https://enlightenmens.lmc.gatech.edu/items/show/243

In this particular scene, Fantomina loses her virginity, and ultimately her purity in the eyes of a religious observer. Looking at Henry Morland’s piece titled “The Fair Nun Unmasked,” Fantomina’s metaphorical mask of purity and mask hiding her true identity are ripped away as she attempts to convince Beauplaisir to reconsider his intentions. Removing this mask gives the reader a glimpse into her mind as she loses rational thought, pleading to be released from her assurances. https://enlightenmens.lmc.gatech.edu/items/show/197

The thought process was not often explored before the eighteenth century, but new age thinkers desired an understanding of the mind. These individuals believed thoughts reflected physical observation in society. Locke particularly took up this point in his writing, but also wrote, “And how great a mass of knowledge soever he imagines to be lodged there, he will, upon take a strict view, see that he has not any idea in his mind but what one of these two have imprinted.” It is this statement that seems to define the mindset of Beauplaisir as he attempts to explain why Fantomina regrets what conspired between them, being “surpris’d and troubled at the Mystery.” Being stuck in one mindset prevents an individual from viewing a situation from another perspective, giving them a very limited understanding of the world. https://enlightenmens.lmc.gatech.edu/items/show/536

After defiling Fantomina’s honor, Beauplaisir questions her lament seeming to be very disconnected from the mental processes of observation and reflection, two trends of the eighteenth century. As discussed by Locke, “Our observation employed either, about external sensible objects, or about the internal operations of our minds perceived and reflected on by ourselves, is that which supplies our understandings with all the materials of thinking.” When observing Fantomina in the aftermath of his actions, Beauplaisir appears to reflect on why she would choose to “lament a Consequence which she could not but expect,” but reflects in a way that contradicts Locke’s explanation of understanding a thought process behind something observed outside of oneself. He lacks the sympathy required to interact with the emotions of others blocking his mind from grasping an understanding of the social situation he finds himself in. https://enlightenmens.lmc.gatech.edu/items/show/264

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "Vartue" is an older form of the word "virtue" and defined as "a moral quality regarded (esp. in religious contexts) as good or desirable in a person, such as patience, kindness, etc.; a particular form of moral excellence."

"virtue, n." OED Online, Oxford University Press, December 2019, www.oed.com/view/Entry/223638. Accessed 7 February 2020.