Synopses & Reviews
Review
'A lucid, intelligent, wide-ranging introduction to a subject of growing centrality in both criticism and political life' Professor Terry Eagleton University of Manchester
Synopsis
An introductory study into tragedy in drama and literature, and in the real world.
Synopsis
This Introduction offers an overview of tragic drama from the ancient Greeks, through Shakespeare, Racine and Ibsen, and to the present day. It explores the definition of 'tragedy', as it has been discussed by philosophers and confronted by artists, theologians and psychoanalysts. There are also useful chapters on fate, politics, gender, physical violence, and tragic sites and memorials. The book is unique in its chronological range, and in bringing such a wide spectrum of examples, from both literature and life, into the discussion of this emotional and often controversial subject.
Synopsis
Must-have guides designed to introduce students and teachers to key topics and authors.
Synopsis
This introduction offers an overview of tragic drama from the ancient Greeks, through Shakespeare, Racine and Ibsen, and to the present day. It explores the definition of 'tragedy', as it has been discussed by philosophers, and includes chapters on the Greeks, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, post-colonial drama, and Beckett.
About the Author
Jennifer Wallace is Fellow, lecturer and Director of Studies in English at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge.
Table of Contents
1. Approaching the subject; 2. Tragic drama: 2.1. The Greeks; 2.2. Seneca and Racine; 2.3. Shakespeare; 2.4. Romantic tragedy: Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov; 2.5. American tragedy; 2.6. Postcolonial tragedy; 2.7. Beckett; Case studies 1: Physical violence and dismemberment; Case studies 2: Language; 3. Tragic theory: 3.1. Aristotle; 3.2. Hegel; 3.3. Nietzsche; 3.4. Kierkegaard; 3.5. Camus; 3.6. Girard; Case studies 1: Fate; Case studies 2: Politics; Case studies 3: Gender; 4. Non-dramatic tragedy: 4.1. Visual culture; 4.2. Novel; 4.3. Film; 4.4. Psychoanalysis; 4.5. Theology; 5. Coda: Tragic sites; Bibliography.