Poetics

Having completed studies of classic Greek tragedy and comedy, we shall now do a quick read of Aristotle's Poetics. In this famous essay, the great philosopher analyzes the nature of good poetry, good tragedy, good epic, and good comedy. Spend about half an hour on your reading, and be prepared to discuss Aristotle's most important points, regarding tragedy and comedy in particular. We will discuss on Monday, November 4.

Tragedy!

Last week, the class presented original "Christian" tragedies. Congrats to all for fine performances. The last group up had a great focus on tragic flaw, specifically self-righteousness. The middle group dealt with a heavy and important theme (as all tragedies must) - the conflict between free will and the sovereignty of God. This was a perfect twist on the classic tragic theme of fate. The first group delivered the winning performance with a tightly scripted tragedy that hit all the plot points: clear exposition, peripeteia, climax, anagnorisis, and catastrophe. The acting was also superb, with an interesting use of the Chorus who moved in and out of context. All groups illustrated the one element a Christian tragedy must have, as opposed to a pagan tragedy, and that is a glimmer of hope. Great work.

Your blogging assignment: Comment on what you learned during the process. It might be spiritual, literary, or anything else.