Neglect of a Common Cause in Literature

Neglect of a Common Cause in Literature: Introduction

Neglect of a common cause emerges in literature as a thematic device employed by authors to illuminate the fallacy of attributing causation without due consideration of underlying factors. Literary works often weave narratives that mirror the complexity of real-life causation, challenging characters and readers alike to discern the nuanced relationships between events. Authors may strategically introduce scenarios where characters draw misguided conclusions, highlighting the repercussions of overlooking shared influences or hidden variables. By incorporating the neglect of a common cause, literature becomes a powerful vehicle for exploring the intricacies of human reasoning, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities inherent in drawing accurate causal connections within the fictional worlds crafted by adept storytellers.

Neglect of a Common Cause in Literature: Shakespearean Examples

Play/Work	Context	Neglect of a Common Cause Illustration
“Othello”	Observation: Othello believes Desdemona is unfaithful, leading to jealousy and tragedy.	Neglect: The characters neglect the common cause of Iago’s manipulations, which fuel Othello’s suspicions. Instead of recognizing Iago’s deceit as the common cause, they attribute Desdemona’s alleged infidelity as the primary reason for Othello’s jealousy.
“Hamlet”	Observation: The Danish court faces turmoil and tragedy.	Neglect: Characters neglect the common cause of Claudius’s deceit and corruption, leading to the tragic events. Instead of recognizing Claudius’s actions as the common cause, characters may attribute the chaos solely to Hamlet’s actions or external circumstances.
“Macbeth”	Observation: Macbeth’s descent into madness and tyranny.	Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of the witches’ prophecies, which drive Macbeth’s ambition and paranoia. The characters, including Macbeth himself, may overlook the influence of the supernatural prophecies as a shared factor contributing to Macbeth’s tragic downfall.
“Romeo and Juliet”	Observation: The tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet.	Neglect: The characters neglect the common cause of the long-standing feud between their families, the Montagues and Capulets. Instead of recognizing the feud as the common cause of the tragic events, they may attribute the deaths solely to the ill-fated love between Romeo and Juliet.
“King Lear”	Observation: The unraveling of King Lear’s kingdom and family.	Neglect: Characters neglect the common cause of Lear’s flawed judgment and manipulation by deceitful daughters. Instead of recognizing Lear’s own decisions as the common cause, characters may attribute the chaos solely to external factors or the ingratitude of his daughters.
“Othello”	Observation: Cassio’s dismissal and Iago’s manipulation.	Neglect: Characters neglect the common cause of Iago’s cunning schemes and manipulations, which lead to the events. Instead of recognizing Iago’s deceit as the common cause, they may attribute Cassio’s dismissal solely to Cassio’s behavior or Desdemona’s influence.
“The Tempest”	Observation: Prospero’s magic and the island’s mystical occurrences.	Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of Prospero’s magical powers and the mystical nature of the island. Characters may attribute the magical occurrences solely to external enchantments or natural phenomena, overlooking Prospero’s role as the common cause of the fantastical elements.
“Julius Caesar”	Observation: The conspirators’ assassination of Julius Caesar.	Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of political ambitions and discontent among the conspirators. Instead of recognizing the conspirators’ shared motives as the common cause, characters may attribute Caesar’s assassination solely to the conspirators’ perceived betrayal.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”	Observation: The romantic entanglements and misunderstandings in the fairy realm.	Neglect: Characters neglect the common cause of Puck’s magical mischief and Oberon’s influence on the love affairs. Instead of recognizing the magical interventions as the common cause, they may attribute the romantic chaos solely to the misjudgments or affections of the characters involved.
“Macbeth”	Observation: Lady Macbeth’s descent into guilt and madness.	Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of Lady Macbeth’s role in the murderous plots and her internal struggle with guilt. Characters may attribute Lady Macbeth’s descent solely to her disturbed mental state, overlooking the shared influence of the regicidal actions as the common cause.

In these Shakespearean examples, the neglect of a common cause serves as a thematic element, illustrating how characters often misattribute the causes of events in their lives. The failure to recognize shared influences or hidden variables contributes to the tragic outcomes depicted in these iconic plays.

Neglect of a Common Cause in Literature: Examples

1. “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant:
   • Observation: Madame Loisel’s life takes a tragic turn after losing a borrowed necklace.
   • Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of Madame Loisel’s desire for social status and material wealth, which prompts her to borrow the necklace. Instead of recognizing her own aspirations as the common cause, she attributes her misfortune solely to the lost necklace.
2. “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe:
   • Observation: The narrator becomes increasingly obsessed and disturbed by the old man’s eye.
   • Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of the narrator’s mental instability and obsession with perfection. Instead of recognizing his own psychological state as the common cause, the narrator attributes his madness solely to the unsettling appearance of the old man’s eye.
3. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson:
   • Observation: The townspeople participate in a ritualistic lottery with a shocking outcome.
   • Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of the townspeople’s adherence to tradition and conformity. Instead of recognizing their collective participation as the common cause, characters attribute the shocking outcome solely to the random drawing of names.
4. “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry:
   • Observation: Jim and Della sacrifice their most prized possessions to buy gifts for each other.
   • Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of their deep love and desire to make each other happy. Instead of recognizing their mutual devotion as the common cause, the characters attribute their sacrifices solely to the desire for gift-giving.
5. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs:
   • Observation: The Whites make wishes using a magical monkey’s paw with unintended and tragic consequences.
   • Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of the supernatural nature of the monkey’s paw and the warning about its powers. Instead of recognizing the magical artifact as the common cause, the characters attribute the tragic outcomes solely to the wishes themselves.
6. “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe:
   • Observation: Montresor seeks revenge against Fortunato in a dark and sinister manner.
   • Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of Montresor’s festering resentment and desire for vengeance. Instead of recognizing his own motives as the common cause, Montresor attributes his actions solely to Fortunato’s perceived insults.
7. “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell:
   • Observation: Rainsford becomes the prey in a deadly hunting game on Ship-Trap Island.
   • Neglect: Neglecting the common cause of General Zaroff’s perverse enjoyment of hunting humans. Instead of recognizing Zaroff’s twisted values as the common cause, Rainsford attributes his predicament solely to the island’s dangerous terrain.

These short story examples showcase instances where characters neglect common causes, leading to misconceptions and contributing to the overall themes of the narratives.

Neglect of a Common Cause in Literature: Relevance in Literary Theories

Literary Work	Relevance in Literary Theories
“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant	Realism: Highlights the impact of social aspirations and material desires on character choices, contributing to the realistic portrayal of human behavior.
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe	Psychological Criticism: Illuminates the narrator’s psychological state and the neglect of internal factors leading to destructive obsessions.
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson	Cultural Criticism: Explores the dangers of blindly adhering to tradition and societal norms without questioning the underlying motivations.
“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry	Irony and Symbolism: Utilizes the neglect of the common cause to create dramatic irony and symbolism, emphasizing the characters’ sacrifice for love.
“The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs	Supernatural Literature: Examines the consequences of neglecting the common cause in the context of supernatural elements, emphasizing the paw’s mystical powers.
“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe	Narrative Unreliability: Highlights the narrator’s selective neglect of common causes, contributing to the reader’s questioning of the narrative reliability.
“The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell	Existentialism: Explores the neglect of ethical considerations and shared humanity, aligning with existential themes of individual choices and consequences.

These examples demonstrate how the neglect of a common cause is relevant across various literary theories, contributing to the exploration of realistic human behavior, psychological intricacies, cultural critiques, irony and symbolism, supernatural elements, narrative unreliability, and existential themes within the selected literary works.

Neglect of a Common Cause in Literature: Relevant Terms

Literary Term	Definition in the Context of Neglect of a Common Cause
Character Motivation	The internal desires or goals that drive a character’s actions, often neglected in favor of external events.
Foreshadowing	Clues or hints about future events, sometimes overlooked, leading to a lack of anticipation for upcoming plot developments.
Irony	A literary device where there is a discrepancy between appearance and reality, often stemming from the neglect of key information.
Tragic Flaw	A character’s inherent defect or weakness that contributes to their downfall, sometimes disregarded in analyzing their actions.
Motive	The underlying reason behind a character’s actions or decisions, crucial for understanding their behavior.
Situational Irony	A form of irony where there is a disparity between what is expected to happen and what actually occurs, often due to neglected factors.
Symbolism	The use of symbols to represent abstract ideas, frequently missed if the reader neglects the broader context.
Dramatic Irony	When the audience or reader possesses information that characters lack, emphasizing the consequences of the neglect of common causes.
Fatal Flaw	A flaw in a character’s personality or choices that leads to their downfall, potentially neglected until the climax of the story.

Neglect of a Common Cause in Literature: Suggested Readings

1. Aristotle. Prior Analytics. Translated by Hugh Tredennick, Harvard University Press, 1938.
2. Eco, Umberto. Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language. Indiana University Press, 1986.
3. Quine, W. V. O. Word and Object. MIT Press, 2013.
4. Searle, John R. Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge University Press, 1969.
5. Tarski, Alfred. Logic, Semantics, Metamathematics: Papers from 1923 to 1938. Translated by J. H. Woodger, Hackett Publishing Company, 1983.
6. van Benthem, Johan. A Manual of Intensional Logic. Center for the Study of Language and Information, 1988.
7. Walton, Douglas. Informal Logic: A Pragmatic Approach. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
8. Wittgenstein, Ludwig. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Translated by C. K. Ogden, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1922.
9. Woods, John. Paradox and Paraconsistency: Conflict Resolution in the Abstract Sciences. Cambridge University Press, 2003.