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House Of Leaf Analysis

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Assignment 2: Annotation and House of Leaves
Exploring and Analyzing Footnotes in House of Leaves

Footnote A: Explain a Footnote

This footnote is in response to the main text, written by Zampanò, in the beginning of Chapter IV. In this section of text, Zampanò is writing about the Navidsons’ unsettling return to Seattle. The family returns home, after having been away for only a few days, and notices an enormous --yet unidentifiable-- change to the house. The footnote is written by Johnny Truant, an editor of Zampanò’s study of the Navidson Record and the protagonist of the novel, in response to a passage of text from Heidegger. The footnote further expounds upon the unsettling and unidentifiable horror experienced by the Navidson family …show more content…

In the book, Sensing World, Sensing Wisdom: The Cognitive Foundation of Biblical Metaphors, by Nicole L. Tilford –specifically in Chapter 3—the abstract metaphor that “perception is cognition,” is explored. According to Tilford, “cognition is seeing, cognition is hearing, or cognition is smelling,” and humans are able to describe their ways of thinking by their actions and experiences. Humans, being imaginative creatures, are capable of conjuring conflicting conceptualizations of experiences based on their sensory cognitive inputs. However, in situations where cognitive inputs or sensory experiences are absent, these perception/cognitive mechanisms are strained --and it becomes difficult to identify what is what. This passage of text from Zampanò reminds of this passage from Sensing World, Sensing Wisdom: The Cognitive Foundation of Biblical Metaphors, because it mirrors Tilford’s interpretation of subjective perception. When the Navidsons encounter a door in their bedroom that they have never seen or touched (no sensory or cognitive input), they begin to question reality and their own perceptions. Tilford’s understanding of perception as cognition helps explain the confusion experienced by the Navidsons and their subsequent questioning of reality. Additionally, the idea that proper perception is only achieved through appropriate cognitive input, supports the novel’s theme of what is and what isn’t, as many of the experiences the novel’s characters have are unseen –and thus left

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