Subject: BHA: Re: Aristotle the joker
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 09:56:28 +0200


>Gerald Else in his commentary on the *Poetics* makes catharsis *entirely*
>social, and rejects all psychological interpretations of it. The catharsis
>takes place in the tragic protagonist, and the whole play is structured to
>win the audience's consent to the right of the protagonist to be purified
>of blood guilt. I read Else 40 years ago, so I've probably simplified him
>quite a bit, but he was quite firm on rejecting the psychological /
>medical interpretation of it.

Else's argument (as I remember it) is that catharsis concerns cleaning up
events within the plot rather than emotions in the audience.  It's for that
reason he rejects psychological and medical interpretations.  Consent would
then be a function which *Else* assigns to explain something Aristotle
describes.  (It's a reasonable analysis, but I think implies that Aristotle
doesn't mention the audience at all, which supports my claim).  I referred
to the traditional interpretation of catharsis not because I accept it (I
don't), but because it was likely to leap to mind as the sole moment when
Aristotle speaks of the audience (if one follows Else, not even then).

---
Tobin Nellhaus
nellhaus-AT-gwi.net *or* tobin.nellhaus-AT-helsinki.fi
"Faith requires us to be materialists without flinching": C.S. Peirce








     --- from list bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---