Tragic modernities Flashcards
Q: What does George Steiner argue about tragedy and modernity?
A: Tragedy is culturally specific to the West but is alien to modernity; his view is Eurocentric.
Q: What three “mythologies” does Steiner blame for the crisis in modern tragedy?
A: Christianity (redemption), Classicism (rigid ideals), and Marxism (historical determinism).
Q: How do Steiner and Raymond Williams differ in their view of tragedy and modernity?
A: Steiner sees tragedy as impossible in modernity, while Williams believes modernity itself is tragic and requires a new understanding of tragedy.
Q: What is Raymond Williams’ view of tragedy?
A: Tragedy is dynamic — it is culturally shaped, historically responsive (reflects its time), and adaptable across eras and ideologies (reinvented for new political/philosophical systems).
Q: How should we study modern tragedy according to Williams?
A: By seeing how modernity uses tragedy to define concerns like freedom and identity, and how ancient texts are reshaped for modern meanings.
Q: How has philosophical commentary shaped the reading of ancient tragedy?
A: It made it hard to separate the literary texts from philosophical frameworks (e.g., Oedipus Rex and Freud’s Oedipus Complex).
Q: How was Greek tragedy tied to Athenian society?
A: It was linked to 5th-century Athenian democracy, festivals (like the City Dionysia), and public performance, reflecting tensions in citizenship and democracy.
Q: What role did tragedy play in Athenian civic life?
A: It staged contradictions of democracy, exploring issues of freedom, justice, power, and exclusion.
Q: What is Jean-Pierre Vernant’s view of Greek tragedy?
A: It was historically bounded to 5th-century Athens, deeply embedded in civic ideology, and largely inaccessible to later audiences.
Q: Why, according to Vernant, could even Aristotle not fully understand tragedy?
A: Because the political context that shaped tragedy was already lost by Aristotle’s time.
Q: How does the “tragic” help think about modern concerns?
A: It addresses freedom vs fate, gender and subjectivity, historical continuity vs rupture, and political promise vs betrayal.
Q: What does it mean to say “to be a modern subject is to be a tragic subject”?
A: Modern identity involves constant struggle over agency, memory, and selfhood, much like tragedy explores.
Q: How did Plato and Aristotle influence the understanding of tragedy?
A: They absorbed tragedy into philosophy, shaping how it has been interpreted historically.
Q: What are the key takeaways for understanding ‘the tragic’?
A: Tragedy is historically situated and philosophically expansive; it reflects modern struggles with identity, political disillusionment, and the human condition
Q: Why is the context of performance important for understanding ancient tragedy?
A: It roots tragedy in its original social, political, and civic settings, emphasizing its communal and engaged nature.
