The Contagion of Fascism and Anti-Authoritarian Writing: Virginia Woolf’s Three Guineas and the Politics of (Super) Mirror Neurons

Virginia Woolf’s Three Guineas (193 8) offers a critic이 examination of fascism as an ideological contagion that spreads through patriarchal structures and unconscious imitation. This study analyzes Woolf’s anti-authoritarian writing strategies, deconstructing the institutionalized violence present in education, professional life, and warfare. Drawing on Gabriel Tarde’s theory of social contagion and insights from modern neuroscience-specifically regarding (super) mirror neurons―the paper reveals how Woolf’s proposal for an “Outsiders’ Society” counters fascist psychology. Woolf disrupts mechanisms of emotional contagion by avoiding violent imagery and critiquing symbols of authority, such as medals and titles, while fostering empathic resistance. The use of an epistolary form and an annotated structure democratizes textual authority, encouraging readers to engage in self-reflective critique. The interdisciplinary approach connects Woolf’s concept of “subconscious Hitlerism” with Erich Fromm’s theory of escaping from freedom, as well as neuroscientific insights into empathy’s dual role in either reinforcing or dismantling ideologies. Ultimately, this work positions Three Guineas as a pioneering literary practice that anticipates contemporary debates on authoritarianism, highlighting literature’s capacity to combat ideological contagion through the modulation of neural empathy.