The Death Of Tragedy

[poliphilo]

We don't write tragedies anymore, even though we still write comedies.

We've handed the word "tragedy" over to the journalists for them to kick about.

When was the last time a serious writer wrote a serious play entitled "The Tragedy of X" or "X, A Tragedy"?

I'll bet it wasn't any later than 1920.

George Steiner has a book- which I haven't read- called The Death of Tragedy.  He says we  no longer write tragedy because we no longer possess a coherent religious or metaphysical world view. 

Rubbish.

We're talking linguistic fashion not cultural shift. It's about a word dropping out of use.

We find the word "tragedy" pretentious, hi-falutin, embarrassing, devalued-

Probably because the canonical tragedies (The Greeks, Shakespeare, Corneille and Racine) are about kings and heroes- and- for all sorts of good historical and cultural reasons- we no longer believe in such cannaille

But we still produce dramas in which poor saps come an inevitable cropper. 

Dramas that move us to tears- that provoke emotional catharsis.

Isn't Brokeback Mountain a tragedy in all but name? 

And what's in a name?

Comments

[wolfshift.livejournal.com]

That occurred to me yesterday, glancing at the newspaper and wondering, "Why does everything have to be a 'crisis' these days?"

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The media have debased the language. They speak almost entirely in cliches. And eveything is overstated. "Unimaginable horror", "worst nightmare", "tragedy".

[solar-diablo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, here in the States we are currently in the throes of a "housing market disaster", a "gas crisis", and an "economic nightmare". This is over and above the wars and natural disasters the media loves to talk about over and over.

It's gotten to where I need a nightlight and teddy bear for waking life, and look forward to the comparative comfort of my dreamlife boogey-men.

[wolfshift.livejournal.com]

If I were a newspaper editor, I would use headlines like,

Mild Tragedy...
Credible Horror...
Minor Calamity...
Slight Disaster...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That would be sweet. :)