Why Does Tragedy Give Pleasure? by A.D. Nuttall
A lucid inquiry into why audiences relish tragic art, it traces the paradox from classical to modern thought, testing ideas of catharsis, moral education, thrill, and aesthetic distance. Through readings of Greek and Shakespearean drama and later works, it shows how staged suffering can concentrate attention, clarify value, and produce a distinctive pleasure rooted in understanding rather than cruelty or mere safety. The central claim is that tragedy gratifies by fusing pain with insight—an experience of emotional rightness and intellectual illumination that confirms the seriousness and reality of human life.
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- Published
- 1996
- Nationality
- British
- Length
- Short
- Pages
- 224
- Original Language
- English
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