Melba Cuddy-Keane

Distributed Cognition, Porous Qualia and Modernist Narrative

Distributed Cognition in Victorian Culture and Modernism September 1, 2020 Melba Cuddy-Keane

Distributed cognition can be understood as a kind of qualia—the felt experience of extending beyond one's own skin. Drawing on Daniel Dennett's distinction between scientific and manifest ontology, fictional narratives offer access to this manifest truth of 'porous qualia.' Analyzing works by Arnold Bennett, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf, the chapter defines three modes of porous qualia: projecting, responding, and circulating, ranging from minimal to innovative forms. Against the backdrop of unified nationalisms, Woolf's use of rhythmic repetitive touch models a new communal feeling that combines connectedness with respect for individual difference.