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ABSTRACT
Penelope Fitzgerald’s The Gate of Angels (1990) tackles the body-mind problem by describing the lived experiences of her characters amidst early 20th century paradigm shifts in science and religion. This article reads the novel’s metaphysical meditations of subjectivity alongside Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological project of situating the embodied subject in the world. It argues that the romantic relationship between Fred and Daisy is an anti-Cartesian allegory, which lays the ground for an analysis of Fred’s metaphysical meditations on and experiences with subjectivity. His emotional crisis with Daisy makes him recognize, negatively, that the mind is embodied and interdependent with other subjects in situations. With his new knowledge of situational subjectivity, this study concludes that this metaphysical fable offers a solution to the body-mind problem by dissolving it.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. See Lee’s notes on Fitzgerald’s readings in preparation for the novel (Penelope 359). Lee’s account has an editorial error. It is Dr. Sage, not Dr. Sloane, who is modeled after Henry Maudsley. See also Fitzgerald’s account of her inspiration (So I 455).
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Notes on contributors
Guibing Qin
Guibing Qin received his PhD in English from City University of Hong Kong in 2019. His research interests include contemporary fiction and creative writing.