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Sentimentality
Sentimentality
Sentimentality
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Sentimentality originally indicated the reliance on feelings as a guide to truth, but in current usage the term commonly connotes a reliance on shallow, uncomplicated emotions at the expense of reason.[1]

Sentimentalism in philosophy is a view in meta-ethics according to which morality is somehow grounded in moral sentiments or emotions. Sentimentalism in literature refers to techniques a writer employs to induce a tender emotional response disproportionate to the situation at hand[2] (and thus to substitute heightened and generally uncritical feeling for normal ethical and intellectual judgments). The term may also characterize the tendency of some readers to invest strong emotions in trite or conventional fictional situations.[3]

"A sentimentalist", Oscar Wilde wrote, "is one who desires to have the luxury of an emotion without paying for it."[4] In James Joyce's Ulysses, Stephen Dedalus sends Buck Mulligan a telegram that reads "The sentimentalist is he who would enjoy without incurring the immense debtorship for a thing done."[5] James Baldwin considered that "Sentimentality, the ostentatious parading of excessive and spurious emotion, is the mark of dishonesty, the inability to feel...the mask of cruelty".[6] This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald contrasts sentimentalists and romantics, with Amory Blaine telling Rosalind, "I'm not sentimental—I'm as romantic as you are. The idea, you know, is that the sentimental person thinks things will last—the romantic person has a desperate confidence that they won't."[7]

18th-century origins

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In the mid-18th century, a querulous lady had complained to Richardson: "What, in your opinion, is the meaning of the word sentimental, so much in vogue among the polite...Everything clever and agreeable is comprehended in that word...such a one is a sentimental man; we were a sentimental party".[8] What she was observing was the way the term was becoming a European obsession[9]—part of the Enlightenment drive to foster the individual's capacity to recognise virtue at a visceral level.[10] Everywhere in the sentimental novel or the sentimental comedy, "lively and effusive emotion is celebrated as evidence of a good heart".[11] Moral philosophers saw sentimentality as a cure for social isolation;[12] and Adam Smith indeed considered that "the poets and romance writers, who best paint...domestic affections, Racine and Voltaire; Richardson, Maurivaux and Riccoboni; are, in such cases, much better instructors than Zeno"[13] and the Stoics.

By the close of the 18th century, however, a reaction had occurred against what had come to be considered sentimental excess, by then seen as false and self-indulgent[14] Schiller, in a 1795 essay, divided poets into two classes, the "naive" and the "sentimental"—regarded respectively as natural (the respected ancient Greek mode, but largely unattainable in the late 18th century) and as artificial (modern 18th century man's inescapably strained and artificial perception/sensing of "the natural" as an object).[15][11]

Schiller, however, believed that it was very difficult to wilfully (and successfully) write in the "natural" mode, which was a mode that was largely involuntary and situational, and mostly belonged to the ancient Greeks and Shakespeare—and the past.[15] He and his contemporary authors ("we") had a "sentimental" feeling for nature or the natural that was, of social or historical necessity, like a sick person perceiving health ("Unser Gefühl für Natur gleicht der Empfindung des Kranken für die Gesundheit").[15]

Modern times

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In modern times[16] "sentimental" is a pejorative term that has been casually applied to works of art and literature that exceed the viewer or reader's sense of decorum—the extent of permissible emotion—and standards of taste: "excessiveness" is the criterion;[17] "Meretricious" and "contrived" sham pathos are the hallmark of sentimentality, where the morality that underlies the work is both intrusive and pat.[citation needed]

"Sentimentality often involves situations which evoke very intense feelings: love affairs, childbirth, death", but where the feelings are expressed with "reduced intensity and duration of emotional experience...diluted to a safe strength by idealisation and simplification".[18]

Nevertheless, as a social force sentimentality is a hardy perennial, appearing for example as "'Romantic sentimentality...in the 1960s slogans 'flower power' and 'make love not war'".[19] The 1990s public outpouring of grief at the death of Diana, "when they go on about fake sentimentality in relation to Princess Diana",[20] also raised issues about the "powerful streak of sentimentality in the British character"—the extent to which "sentimentality was a grand old national tradition".[21]

Baudrillard has cynically attacked the sentimentality of Western humanitarianism, suggesting that "in the New Sentimental Order, the affluent become consumers of the 'ever more delightful spectacle of poverty and catastrophe, and of the moving spectacle of our own attempts to alleviate it'".[22] There is also the issue of what has been called "indecent sentimentality...[in] pornographical pseudo-classics", so that one might say for example that "Fanny Hill is a very sentimental novel, a faked Eden".[23]

However, in sociology it is possible to see the "sentimental tradition" as extending into the present-day—to see, for example, "Parsons as one of the great social philosophers in the sentimental tradition of Adam Smith, Burke, McLuhan, and Goffman...concerned with the relation between the rational and sentimental bases of social order raised by the market reorientation of motivation".[24] Francis Fukuyama takes up the theme through the exploration of "society's stock of shared values as social capital".[25]

In a "subjective confession" of 1932, Ulysses: a Monologue, the analytic psychologist Carl Jung anticipates Baudrillard when he writes: "Think of the lamentable role of popular sentiment in wartime! Think of our so-called humanitarianism! The psychiatrist knows only too well how each of us becomes the helpless but not pitiable victim of his own sentiments. Sentimentality is the superstructure erected upon brutality. Unfeelingness is the counter-position and inevitably suffers from the same defects." [Carl Jung: The Spirit in Man, Art and Literature, London: Routledge, 2003, p. 143]

Dissensions

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Complications enter into the ordinary view of sentimentality, however, when changes in fashion and setting— the "climate of thought"[26]—intrude between the work and the reader. The view that sentimentality is relative is inherent in John Ciardi's "sympathetic contract", in which the reader agrees to join with the writer when approaching a poem.[27] The example of the death of Little Nell in Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop (1840–41), "a scene that for many readers today might represent a defining instance of sentimentality",[26] brought tears to the eye of many highly critical readers of the day.[28] The reader of Dickens, Richard Holt Hutton observed, "has the painful impression of pathos feasting upon itself."[29]

Recent feminist theory has clarified the use of the term as it applies to the genre "of the sentimental novel, stressing the way that 'different cultural assumptions arising from the oppression of women gave liberating significance to the works' piety and mythical power to the ideals of the heroines".[30]

Sentimental fallacy

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The sentimental fallacy is an ancient rhetorical device that attributes human emotions, such as grief or anger, to the forces of nature[citation needed]. This is also known as the pathetic fallacy, "a term coined by John Ruskin ... for the practice of attributing human emotions to the inanimate or unintelligent world"[31]—as in "the sentimental poetic trope of the 'pathetic fallacy', beloved of Theocritus, Virgil and their successors"[32] in the pastoral tradition.

The term is also used more indiscriminately to discredit any argument as being based on a misweighting of emotion: "sentimental fallacies...that men, that we, are better—nobler—than we know ourselves to be";[33] "the 'sentimental fallacy' of constructing novels or plays 'out of purely emotional patterns'".[34]

See also

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Notes

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References

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Further reading

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Sentimentality

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Sentimentality refers to the indulgence in tender emotions, often characterized by an excessive or affected display of feeling that appeals to , sometimes at the expense of authenticity or moral depth. In philosophical and aesthetic contexts, it involves idealizing objects or experiences to seek personal gratification and reassurance, potentially distorting reality through or evasion of harsher truths. This distinguishes itself from genuine sentiment, which encompasses sincere emotional responses, by emphasizing or unearned emotions that prioritize emotional over objective evaluation. Historically, sentimentality emerged in the 18th century amid the rise of sentimentalism in British philosophy and literature, where it promoted empathy and moral sensibility through emotional narratives, influencing works that stirred compassion for the vulnerable. By the Victorian era, it became a prominent mode in novels and poetry, focusing on the evocation and interpretation of emotions to engage readers, as seen in Charles Dickens's depictions of domestic pathos and Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, which mobilized sentimental appeals for social reform. In psychology and moral philosophy, sentimentality has been analyzed as a form of affective attachment that can reinforce social bonds and personal well-being, yet it often invites criticism for fostering superficiality or ethical complacency. Critics, including literary figures like and philosophers such as Anthony Savile, view sentimentality as an aesthetic and flaw, arguing that it involves falsifying aspects of to indulge in easy emotional rewards, thereby undermining genuine judgment or artistic . Despite this, defenders like highlight its potential ethical value in cultivating tenderness and , particularly in , where it serves as a tool for emotional education without real-world harm. In contemporary discussions, sentimental value—distinct from instrumental or aesthetic worth—refers to the non-fungible significance of objects or memories tied to personal history, providing reasons for preservation and attachment that enrich . Overall, sentimentality remains a double-edged concept, valued for its capacity to humanize but scrutinized for its risks of emotional excess and manipulation across , , and .

Definition and Characteristics

Etymology and Historical Meaning

The term "sentimentality" derives from the Latin verb sentire, meaning "to feel," which evolved through Medieval Latin sentimentum (feeling or opinion) and Old French sentiment (sense or emotion) into English "sentiment" by the late 14th century, initially denoting a personal feeling or judgment influenced by emotion. The adjective "sentimental" first appeared in English around 1749, formed from "sentiment" + "-al," and originally signified something pertaining to sentiment, particularly in moral philosophy where emotions guided ethical discernment, as in David Hume's discussions of moral sentiments in works like A Treatise of Human Nature (1739–1740). The noun "sentimentality" emerged shortly after, with its earliest recorded use in 1770 in the Monthly Review, extending the adjectival sense to describe a quality or tendency toward emotional sentiment. In the 18th-century Enlightenment, "sentimental" held a predominantly positive connotation, emphasizing the role of feelings in accessing moral truth as part of , which posited an innate emotional capacity for ethical judgment. Hume advanced this view by arguing that moral distinctions arise from sentiments rather than reason alone, influencing the term's adoption in philosophical discourse. Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) exemplified this usage, portraying moral sentiments—rooted in —as the mechanism by which individuals approve virtuous actions and cultivate social harmony, without implying excess. By the late 18th century, however, the term began acquiring negative overtones, suggesting emotional excess or undue reflection over genuine feeling. Friedrich Schiller's 1795 essay On Naïve and Sentimental Poetry marked a key critique, distinguishing "sentimental" poetry as reflective and idealistic—contrasting with the natural spontaneity of "naïve" works—but warning that excessive reflection could lead to artificiality or detachment from lived experience, thus diluting aesthetic authenticity. This shift intensified in the 19th century, where "sentimentality" increasingly denoted affected or insincere emotionalism in a contemptuous sense, as lexicographical sources began associating it with superficial tenderness rather than moral depth.

Core Features and Manifestations

Sentimentality is characterized by the indulgence in exaggerated, idealized emotions that are disproportionate to the realities of the situation, often centering on tender responses such as pity, nostalgia, or romantic affection. These emotions are typically unearned, stemming from a cognitive distortion that overemphasizes positive traits while disregarding flaws or complexities, leading to a form of self-gratification through the meta-pleasure of feeling compassionate. Manipulation of feelings frequently occurs via reliance on clichés or stereotypes, which simplify evocation of sympathy without requiring genuine justification or depth. In personal behavior, sentimentality manifests as overly effusive reactions to minor provocations, such as maudlin tears or gestures over trivial losses, which primarily serve to bolster the individual's self-perception as emotionally sensitive rather than addressing the event substantively. Rhetorically, it appears in persuasive appeals that prioritize emotional arousal over , employing sentimental narratives to elicit unreflective agreement by invoking idealized human bonds or sufferings. In aesthetic contexts, sentimentality simplifies complex experiences like , , or loss into unchallenging, formulaic depictions that provoke easy emotional responses, bypassing nuanced exploration of human frailty. Sentimentality differs from genuine in its superficiality and self-orientation; whereas involves a deep, justified sharing of another's perspective grounded in authentic concern, sentimentality yields shallow, unearned feelings that prioritize the expresser's emotional satisfaction over meaningful connection. It also relates to as an emotional precursor, with both involving superficial evocations of feeling, but emphasizes mass-produced aesthetic triviality, while sentimentality specifically targets the excess and artificiality of the emotional response itself. Modern manifestations include Hallmark greeting cards, which commodify standardized sentimental expressions to simulate intimacy and evoke unearned in routine social exchanges. Similarly, emotional content on can amplify reactions through high-arousal narratives that spread rapidly but may foster only fleeting .

Historical Development

18th-Century Origins in Philosophy and Literature

The emergence of sentimentality in the can be traced to philosophical developments in , which posited that ethical judgments arise from innate emotional responses rather than pure reason. Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, laid foundational ideas in his 1711 work Characteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times, arguing that humans possess a natural moral sense that enables appreciation of virtue through harmony and proportion in nature and society. This theory influenced Francis Hutcheson, who in his 1725 An Inquiry into the Original of Our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue expanded on the moral sense as an internal faculty that approves benevolent actions and disapproves of vice, emphasizing disinterested affection as the basis of morality. further developed these ideas in his (1739–1740), positing that —our capacity to share in others' feelings—underlies moral approbation and disapprobation, making emotions central to ethical discernment. refined these concepts in his 1759 , where —the imaginative projection of oneself into others' situations—serves as the cornerstone of ethical behavior, fostering social bonds through shared emotional experiences. However, offered an early critique of this sentimental approach in works like the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), emphasizing duty and reason over emotional impulses and viewing sentimentality—such as the "ineffectual sharing of one's feelings"—as a deviation from moral sensitivity rooted in principled action rather than mere feeling. This philosophical shift occurred amid a broader cultural reaction against the neoclassical emphasis on rational restraint and classical imitation, which had dominated early 18th-century thought and art. prioritized objective rules and , but thinkers and writers increasingly championed "" as a refined emotional sensitivity that allowed for personal and moral over strict logic. was viewed not as uncontrolled passion but as a cultivated capacity for delicate feeling, enabling individuals to respond empathetically to , , and in everyday life. This promotion of emotional depth reflected Enlightenment ideals of human progress through inner experience, positioning as a counterbalance to the era's mechanistic worldview. In literature, these ideas manifested in the rise of the sentimental novel and comedy, genres that depicted virtuous characters enduring moral trials to evoke reader empathy. Samuel Richardson's Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded (1740) pioneered the form with its epistolary narrative of a servant girl's resistance to seduction, highlighting the rewards of moral fortitude and emotional purity. His subsequent Clarissa (1748) intensified this approach, portraying the tragic suffering of a young woman under familial and social pressures, thereby illustrating how refined sensibility could affirm ethical resilience amid adversity. Complementing these, Richard Steele's comedy The Conscious Lovers (1722) shifted dramatic conventions by resolving conflicts through benevolence and mutual understanding rather than wit or intrigue, establishing sentimental comedy as a vehicle for moral instruction via emotional appeal. A pivotal literary milestone came with Laurence Sterne's A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy (1768), a fragmented travelogue that intertwined personal anecdotes of compassion and humor to blend emotion with moral reflection, solidifying sentimentality's role in narrative innovation.

Evolution in the 19th and 20th Centuries

In the , sentimentality gained widespread popularity during the , particularly in , where it blended Romantic emphases on emotion with melodramatic storytelling to evoke profound from readers. exemplified this trend in works like (1841), whose death scene of the child character Little Nell provoked mass public grief, with reports of readers openly weeping in streets and theaters upon serialized installments revealing her fate. This emotional intensity reflected broader Victorian cultural values that celebrated sentiment as a moral force, fostering communal bonds through shared in novels and theater. Philosophical critiques continued to position sentimentality as an excess that undermined rational . extended this critique more forcefully, dismissing —a core element of sentimental responses—as a sign of weakness that perpetuates mediocrity and hinders human overcoming, as explored in (1883–1885), where Zarathustra warns against commiserating with the suffering as it fosters dependency and enervates the strong. By the , marked a sharp rejection of sentimentality, favoring irony, fragmentation, and detachment to capture the dislocations of modern life. James Joyce's Ulysses (1922) parodied sentimental tropes through its stylistic experiments, subverting emotional clichés in episodes that mock maudlin narratives while embracing a pragmatic, ironic over heartfelt excess. Despite this literary shift, sentimentality persisted in popular cultural forms, thriving in Hollywood films that deployed tear-jerking melodramas to affirm traditional values amid social upheaval, and in pulp romance novels, which amplified idealized emotions to appeal to mass audiences seeking escapist . Post-World War II, sentimentality experienced a decline influenced by existentialism's emphasis on , alienation, and the rejection of comforting illusions in the face of war's devastation, as philosophers like highlighted individual authenticity over emotional consolation. This era's disillusionment tempered overt sentimental expressions in , prioritizing stark realism. However, a revival occurred in the , where "flower power" —manifest in pacifist movements and communal visions of love and harmony—reinfused sentimentality as a rebellious affirmation of human connection against institutional coldness.

Sentimentality in Arts and Culture

In Literature and Theater

In literature, sentimentality often employs techniques such as the , where human emotions are attributed to inanimate objects or nature to heighten emotional resonance and evoke sympathy in readers. This device, coined by critic , allows authors to externalize characters' inner states through environmental descriptions, amplifying the of scenes without direct narration. For instance, in Charles Dickens's works, stormy weather mirrors characters' turmoil, reinforcing sentimental appeals to moral reform. Exaggerated in dialogues further characterizes sentimental prose, with characters delivering overwrought speeches that prioritize emotional intensity over realism to stir audience feelings. Samuel Richardson's epistolary novels, like Pamela (1740), exemplify this through the protagonist's verbose expressions of virtue and suffering, designed to elicit tears and ethical reflection. Idealized characters, particularly suffering heroines, dominate sentimental narratives; Richardson's Pamela embodies moral purity amid adversity, while Dickens's figures like Little Nell in (1841) represent innocence victimized by social ills, prompting readers to confront injustice through vicarious emotion. In theater, sentimentality manifested in 18th-century sentimental comedies, which shifted from Restoration wit to uplift through reformed and virtuous resolutions. Colley Cibber's Love's Last Shift (1696) pioneered this genre, portraying a wayward husband reformed by his wife's feigned prostitution, culminating in familial reconciliation to affirm ethical values over bawdy humor. By the , sentimental elements evolved into melodramas, featuring sensational plots with clear villains, persecuted innocents, and tear-jerking resolutions that rewarded . Plays like Dion Boucicault's (1859) used exaggerated emotional climaxes—such as sacrificial deaths—to manipulate audiences toward and social commentary on issues like . These techniques served broader impacts, manipulating audiences for instruction by channeling toward ethical lessons, as sentimental works positioned feeling as a pathway to . Feminist readings highlight how sentimental novels empowered female voices through , allowing women authors and characters to assert agency in domestic spheres often denied rational ; for example, heroines' affective narratives challenged patriarchal constraints by valorizing sensitivity as strength. A seminal example is Harriet Beecher Stowe's (1852), which harnessed sentimentality as an abolitionist tool by depicting enslaved characters' sufferings—such as Tom's martyrdom and Eliza's maternal flight—to provoke moral outrage and galvanize anti-slavery sentiment among Northern readers. Stowe's use of idealized victims and pathetic scenes, like the death of Eva, amplified to underscore Christianity's incompatibility with slavery, influencing public opinion and contributing to the Civil War's fervor. However, critiqued this approach in his essay "Everybody's Protest Novel" from (1955), arguing that Stowe's self-righteous sentimentality reduced Black characters to stereotypes, prioritizing white moral over authentic racial complexity and perpetuating a "" literature that sentimentalized suffering without systemic change.

In Visual Arts, Music, and Modern Media

In the , sentimentality manifested prominently in 19th-century genre paintings that emphasized moralistic family scenes, as exemplified by Jean-Baptiste Greuze's works, which blended elegance with didactic narratives to evoke empathy for domestic virtues and . Greuze's paintings, such as The Father's Curse: The Ungrateful Son (1777), dramatized emotional conflicts through theatrical poses and expressive gestures, aiming to elicit tears and moral reflection from viewers as a form of public edification. This approach extended into Victorian illustrations, where artists like Briton Riviere captured scenes of human-animal bonds to stir pity and tenderness, portraying vulnerable figures in poignant, narrative-driven compositions that appealed to the era's cult of domestic sentiment. Such illustrations, often found in periodicals and books, reinforced emotional responses to themes of loss and , aligning with broader Victorian values of and moral uplift. In music, sentimentality found expression through 19th-century parlor songs, which were sentimental ballads performed in middle-class homes to convey themes of love, , and melancholy, fostering intimate emotional connections among listeners. Composers like contributed pieces such as "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" (1854), characterized by simple melodies and heartfelt lyrics that evoked wistful longing, making them staples of domestic entertainment. This tradition influenced later forms, including film scores that induce ; in Steven Spielberg's (1982), John Williams's score employs soaring strings and tender motifs to heighten the film's sentimental portrayal of friendship and separation, amplifying emotional peaks like the bicycle flight scene. The music's deliberate orchestration of warmth and melancholy has been noted for its role in manipulating audience , contributing to the film's enduring appeal as a tearjerker. In modern media, sentimentality permeates television tropes, particularly in holiday specials that deploy formulaic narratives of and warmth to evoke familial bonds and seasonal , as seen in recurring motifs of redemption and heartwarming resolutions. amplifies this through viral pet videos, which often feature adorable or poignant animal moments designed to trigger instant emotional responses like or , driving shares and engagement via platforms' algorithms. Similarly, #ThrowbackThursday posts encourage users to share nostalgic content, blending personal sentiment with communal to foster connections and emotional validation in digital communities. critiques these tendencies, as in Jeff Koons's Balloon Dog series (1994–2000), where inflated, kitsch-inspired stainless steel sculptures parody sentimental attachments to childhood and consumer objects, inviting reflection on the banality of emotional . Koons's work, by elevating everyday to , underscores the tension between genuine feeling and manufactured in contemporary culture. Post-2000 examples highlight sentimentality's evolution in global media. In , ballads and trot-infused tracks increasingly incorporate positive emotional tones, as lyrics from 1990 to 2019 show a shift toward uplift and romance, reflecting societal preferences for feel-good in acts like and modern groups. This sentimental streak persists in trot's revival, with its maudlin storytelling appealing to intergenerational audiences through exaggerated heartbreak and redemption. TikTok challenges further exemplify this by leveraging short-form videos to elicit rapid emotional highs, such as nostalgic dances or pet reunions, which tap into users' desires for joy and belonging to boost participation and virality. In 2020s influencer culture, creators promote emotional by curating content that evokes aspiration and vulnerability, influencing purchases through relatable narratives that blend personal stories with product endorsements, often at the expense of authentic emotional depth. Studies indicate this approach enhances brand recall when tied to evoked feelings, underscoring sentimentality's role in driving consumer action amid ethical concerns over manipulation.

Psychological and Social Aspects

Psychological Interpretations

In early 20th-century , analyzed sentimentality as a psychological phenomenon often masking deeper conflicts within the psyche. He described it as "the superstructure erected upon brutality," implying that excessive emotional displays serve to conceal repressed aggressive or brutal impulses, preventing their conscious integration. This view positions sentimentality not as genuine emotion but as a compensatory mechanism for unacknowledged shadow aspects of the personality. Jung further connected sentimentality to the anima, the archetypal feminine image in the male unconscious, which embodies moodiness, , and relational tendencies; when projected outward, the anima can manifest as overly sentimental attachments or idealizations, particularly if the conscious emphasizes rationality over feeling. In this framework, sentimentality arises from incomplete , where emotional projections distort interpersonal dynamics. In modern psychological perspectives, sentimentality functions as a defense mechanism, particularly in contexts of loss and , where it facilitates avoidance of complex emotional realities through idealized . Idealization, a minor image-distorting defense, involves exaggerating positive attributes of the deceased or lost object to minimize painful ambiguities, such as unresolved conflicts or imperfections in the relationship; this can lead to maudlin, overly romanticized recollections that buffer against profound sorrow. complements this by linking insecure attachment styles—formed from inconsistent early caregiving—to heightened emotional reactivity, including maudlin or excessively sentimental responses to relational threats or separations. Individuals with anxious or disorganized attachments may rely on sentimental idealization to maintain bonds, fostering emotional dependency as a way to mitigate fears of abandonment. Cognitively, sentimentality reflects , a where affective states are treated as , allowing feelings to supersede factual assessment. This manifests in sentimental judgments, such as presuming a relationship's value based solely on nostalgic warmth rather than behavioral , potentially perpetuating maladaptive patterns. Relatedly, on empathy fatigue highlights how compassion collapse—wherein diminishes for large-scale suffering—prompts sentimental shortcuts, like fixating on singular, emotionally vivid stories to bypass cognitive overload from mass tragedies. Post-2010 studies demonstrate this through the , where individuals default to simplified emotional cues for decision-making under empathetic strain. Emerging research in the 2020s elucidates sentimentality's neural underpinnings, revealing activation of reward circuitry during exposure to sentimental stimuli, such as nostalgic memories. Functional MRI studies show that , a core sentimental experience, engages the ventral striatum and —key reward areas—alongside autobiographical memory networks like the hippocampus, contrasting with rational processing that relies more on prefrontal control regions. This suggests sentimentality provides hedonic reinforcement, potentially explaining its persistence despite cognitive costs, as emotional rewards temporarily override analytical evaluation.

Social and Cultural Functions

Sentimentality serves as a mechanism for social cohesion by eliciting collective and reinforcing group bonds through shared emotional experiences. In instances of national mourning, such as the widespread following Princess Diana's death in 1997, public displays of sentiment fostered a temporary unity across social divides, promoting emotional openness and a collective sense of humanity in British society. This aligns with ' functionalist perspective, where emotions—including sentimental expressions—contribute to role stabilization and by providing affective reinforcement to social norms and interpersonal relations, thereby maintaining societal equilibrium. Cultural perceptions of sentimentality vary significantly, often reflecting broader societal values. In collectivist cultures like , it manifests positively as , a poignant sensitivity to the transience of life that cultivates communal appreciation and emotional harmony without excess. Conversely, in individualistic societies, sentimentality is frequently critiqued as indulgent or manipulative, prioritizing personal feelings over rational detachment. Feminist theorists in the 1980s and 1990s, notably Jane Tompkins, reclaimed sentimentality by revaluing 19th-century sentimental novels—such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's —as potent tools for moral and social critique, challenging patriarchal dismissals of women's emotional writing as trivial and asserting its role in cultural transformation. In contemporary contexts, sentimentality fulfills diverse functions in , , and digital spaces. Humanitarian campaigns leverage sentimental appeals to generate for remote crises, mobilizing public support through vivid portrayals of suffering that evoke moral outrage and charitable action, though critics argue this risks superficial "sentimental ." In , employs —a sentimental longing for the past—to build and stimulate purchases, as consumers associate products with positive emotional memories, enhancing market engagement. On in the , algorithm-driven amplification of moral outrage content increases its virality and links to online , such as signing, though it does not necessarily translate to greater real-world action. Francis Fukuyama, in his 1992 analysis, connects shared emotional drives—rooted in thymos, the human desire for recognition—to democratic stability, positing that liberal democracies sustain cohesion by institutionalizing equal dignity and mutual affirmation of worth, preventing thymotic frustrations that fuel authoritarianism.

Criticisms and Analytical Concepts

Key Dissensions and Debates

Philosophical dissensions surrounding sentimentality often center on its artistic and existential implications, with critics viewing it as a distortion of authentic experience. In his 1889 essay "The Decay of Lying," Oscar Wilde contended that sentimental art, by idealizing life and nature, produces inferior imitations that life then mindlessly replicates, leading to a degraded reality where "all bad art comes from returning to Life and Nature, and elevating them into ideals." This perspective influenced later modernist critiques, which rejected sentimentality's unchecked emotionalism as manipulative and insincere. T.S. Eliot, in his 1919 essay "Tradition and the Individual Talent," advocated for poetic impersonality to escape "a continual extinction of personality," arguing that direct emotional expression—hallmark of sentimentality—results in mere self-indulgence rather than universal art. Eliot further elaborated this in his 1919 analysis of Shakespeare's Hamlet, introducing the "objective correlative" as a formulaic set of objects, situations, or events that evoke emotion externally, thereby avoiding the "artistic failure" of unmediated sentiment that overwhelms the work. Cultural debates highlight sentimentality's role in contemporary society, pitting postmodern simulations against rehabilitative defenses. critiqued Western as involving simulated that can mask deeper systemic issues, as discussed in works like The Transparency of Evil (1993). In contrast, philosopher has championed sentimentality's value in moral and political education, arguing in (1995) that literary sentiment fosters essential for just , while her capabilities approach—outlined in Women and Human Development (2000)—integrates emotions as core to human dignity and ethical judgment, countering dismissals of sentiment as superficial. Debates also intersect with and race, exposing sentimentality as a tool of oppression. , in essays like "Stranger in the Village" from Notes of a Native Son (1955), dissected white liberal sentimentality as a performative that conceals underlying , allowing whites to indulge in guilt without confronting the violent structures sustaining racial hierarchy. This critique resonates in 21st-century discussions of "toxic positivity," a phenomenon analyzed in psychological literature as enforced optimism that pathologizes valid negative emotions, often disproportionately burdening marginalized groups by demanding resilience amid systemic inequities; for instance, a 2021 study in the Journal of Positive Psychology links it to increased stress and emotional suppression, framing it as a modern sentimental evasion of hardship. Post-2020 discourses on sentimentality have intensified in , where emotional appeals are both lauded and contested against denialism. Critics argue that sentimental narratives—such as tearful testimonials on environmental loss—risk fostering passive without mobilizing , mirroring denialism's emotional avoidance by substituting feeling for . Defenders, however, see this emotional dimension as vital for countering by humanizing abstract threats, though debates persist on balancing with to avoid backlash.

The Sentimental Fallacy

The sentimental fallacy refers to the erroneous attribution of human emotions to inanimate objects, nature, or abstract forces, often as a perceptual or that distorts objective reality. This concept is closely tied to John Ruskin's term "," coined in his 1856 work Volume III, where he described it as a falseness in impressions of external things caused by violent feelings, such as portraying the as "cruel" or as "crawling" under the influence of or passion. In broader rhetorical usage, the sentimental fallacy extends to dismissing arguments that rely on as inherently irrational, equating sentiment with logical weakness rather than evaluating their substantive merit. Literary examples illustrate this fallacy vividly, as in William Wordsworth's (1850), where is anthropomorphized to reflect the poet's inner turmoil; during the "boat-stealing" episode, the cliffs and mountains appear to pursue the boy with a menacing presence, embodying his guilt and fear as if the shares his agitation. In everyday , phrases like the "crying sky" during funerals project human sorrow onto , implying mourns alongside people, which Ruskin critiqued as an emotional overlay rather than factual description. Philosophically, the sentimental fallacy intersects with debates on reason and emotion, echoing David Hume's view that reason serves the passions—emotions drive action, while reason merely directs it—against Immanuel Kant's prioritization of rational duty over sentimental impulses, where unchecked emotion risks moral distortion. In logical critiques, it aligns with the fallacy of appeal to pity (argumentum ad misericordiam), where evoking sympathy substitutes for evidence, as when a debater implores mercy for a flawed position without addressing its validity. The sentimental fallacy differs from genuine , which draws comparisons for insight without implying literal emotional transfer; for instance, calling a storm "furious" as a conveys intensity objectively, whereas infuses it with the speaker's subjective mood, as Ruskin noted in contrasting Homer's neutral "wine-dark sea" with modern poets' emotive projections. In contemporary contexts, this extends to AI ethics, where post-2020s discussions warn against sentimentalizing algorithms by attributing human-like intentions or to them, leading to misguided moral judgments about machine "behavior."

References

  1. https://www.academia.edu/33804342/Sentimentality_in_Life_and_Literature
  2. https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/111551/
  3. https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstreams/d47e5600-11d0-4dd2-bbf1-a103f2c79627/download
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