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Show Additional Notes. metaphysical inquiry of great curio ity, an~ will on that account excuse my here introducing it. In our wal mg hour whenever au idea occurs, which is incongruous to our former experi ence, we instantly dissever the train of imao·ination by the power of volilion; and compare the inconO"ruous idea with our prcviou knowlcdg·e of nature, and reject it. Tbi operation of the mind has not yet acquired a specific name, though it i xerted every minute of our waking hours, unless it may be termed INTUITIVE ANA L O GY. It is an act of reasoning of which we are unconscious except by it. effects in preserving the congruity of our ideas; Zoonomia, Vol. I. Scet. XVII. 3. 7. In our sleep as the power of volition is suspended, and consequently that of reason, when any incongruou ideas occur in the trains of ima~rination, which compose our dreams; we cannot compare them with our previous knowledge of nature and reject them; whence ari c the perpetual incon i tency of our sleeping train of ideas ; and wheucc in our dreams we never feel the sentiment of novelty; lwwcver difFerent the idea. , which present themselve , may be from the u ual course of nature. But in our waking hours, whenever any object occurs which docs not accord with tbc u ual cour e of nature, we immediately and unconsciously exert our vo1unta.ry power, and cxamiue it by intuitive analoO"y, comparing it with our previous knowledge of nature. This exertion of our volition xcitcs lllany other ideas, and is attended with pleasurable seusatio11; which constitutes the sentiment of novelty. But when the object of novelty stimulates us so forcibly as suddenly to disunite our passing trains of ideas, as if a pistol be unexpectedly discharged, the emotion of sn rprise is experienced; which by exciting violent irritation and violent sensation, employs for a time the whole sensorial enero·y, and thus dissever the passing trains of ideas, b fore the power of volition has time to compare them witl1 the u ual vhenomena of na.ture; uut as the painful emotion of fear is then genemlly added to that of surprise, as every one experiences, who hears a noise in tlte clark, which he cannot jmmcdiatcly account for; this great degree of novelty, when it produces much surpri e, generally ceases to be pleasurable, and doc~ not then belong to objects of taste. In its Less degree surprise is generally agreeable, as it simply Analy~·is if Taste. 83 exptcsses the sen t imen t occasioJ1ed LY tl I common la.nO'u ao·e we "ay · 1c nove ty of 0 . · 1 . UJ Ic cas ; as 111 6 :::. '" , we arc agrec·tbl · d pc t ed mcctiwr with 't fr ien I I . J . < y surpn. e at the unex-f. ' c' w llc 1 not only exprc " tl · -O novcltv hu t al ·o the 1 f sses 1e sent1mcnt • J' < p cas nrc rom other a . . " 11 'd W1ti1 the obj ect of it. gt eca > e 1 eas associated It must appear f rom hence, that diffc ·cut ersons mu more or less <wrceauly IJ, 1 . ~r . d P t be affected b j c 111 et cnt e()' recs or . t't' f the ol~jects of taste ; accorclinO" to tl . ~ . . quan t Je o novelty in 1 , . • . . o 1cu p1 cvzous knowledo·e of nature or t l e i r pz cvwus habits or opportunities of att d' oh ' 1'1 · · en 1110" to t e fine t m.· l)dorc rts na:tivity the fetus CXJJe rienccs tl o . ar s. .. l ' ll r • Je perceptwns of heat anc co c' of hctrclncss and softness of' t' I . I ' mo wn anc re.st Witl tl ~>e~· ~~~~s of b~~.~~·c r and repletion, sleeping and waking, pain anc~ ;~:~ ut c, <tnd pcih <tps some otlJer IJCrcer) ·o , 1' h . p · [ · . 1 ns, w He may at thts earl · tuue o Jts cxr ·tencc 11ave occasioncrl l)erpctual tra· f 'd y · . . .· . 1 · . ms o 1 ea . On Its ai J I VeL rnto the world the I)erceptions of' I' ·1 t l 1 · . • . . 1g t all< sound must by t 1c1 L no velty ctt first d1ssever Its usual trains of ·d d · . . . . . I cas an occaswn ·great sur pnsc; w~uch after a few repetitions will cease to be .disa Tee-abl e, an. d 011ly exc1te th.e e.m otio11 from novelty , wh .z c 1 1 g. 1 1as not acqmred a separa.te name, but 1s m reality a less decrree of surprise. an 1 b :fn r tl let. expen.c nce" t 11 e sent1.m e11t of novelty bo r· a ' ( y 11 . . , y(1e g.t .e eof surpn·s c, rwdl ce1se to. be exc1tccl by the sounds or sights, which at first excited perhaps a pamful qua11tity of surprise. It f:lhould here b.e observed, that as the pleasure of novelty is produced by the cxert10n of our voluntary power in COlllJYtr1•11 0" 1 • · • ' 0 uncom-mon o J~ ects w1th_ those wluch are more usually exhibited; tllis senti-ment ot nove l.t~ JS less perceived by those who do Dot readily use the fa ·ul ty of voiJtLOn, or who have little previous knowleclo·e of nature 1 . b , as >y very .1guorant or very stupid people, or by brute animal ; and that thcr ~ore to be affec.ted with this circumstance of the objects of Ta. t c; reqtures som prevzous knowledge of such kinds of objects, and 6 0111 degree of mental exertion. · lienee when a greater variety of objects than ·usual is presented to th.e eye, or when some intricacy of forms, colours, or reciprocal local tty more than usual accompanies them, it is termed novelty if it only ext:ites the exertion of intuitive comparison with the usual order of nature, and affects us with pleasurable sensation; but i term ed |
