In what ways can curiosity affect the human psyche as well as society as a whole?

 “…Elite and ignorant curiosity: both threaten the status quo. Curiosity resists control, both as appetite and as a material object.”

Introduction page 5

“Never had she been in such a Dilemna: Three of Four Times did she open her Mouth to confess her real Quality; but the influence of her ill stars prevented it, by putting an Excuse into her Head, which did the Business as well, and at the same Time did not take from her the Power of seeing and entertaining him a second time with the same Freedom she had done this.”

Fantomina page 3

            Fantomina by Eliza Haywood is a tale of a woman who pursues the man of her desire by disguising herself in a series of different personas from diverse social classes. In each form, she becomes the focus of his affection and then she takes a new appearance when he begins to search for a new love interest. The girl considers revealing the truth of her identity in the quote above, but is unable to do so as a result of the excuses in her mind that urge her to continue the scheme. This is an example of the power which curiosity holds over the human psyche. The character’s logical thoughts are dismissed by her curios desire to continue her scandalous ploy. As well as portraying the authority held by curiosity in the mind, Fantomina’s adaptation of several different identities in various social classes reveals the ability of curiosity to disrupt the status quo. This woman represents the true flexibility of social stratification and the ease at which one can traverse the classes. As stated in the primary quote from the Introduction, curiosity resists control as both a passionate human emotion and as an entity that can change the way society functions.