The Vision of Tragedy

by Richard B. Sewall and Richard Benson Sewall

Book Overview

Sewell's study delves into the generic implications of tragedy as it appears in the works of the ancient Greek tragedians. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300024851
• ISBN13: 9780300024852
• Release Date: January 1980
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

"The tragic vision impels the man of action to fight against his destiny"

Sewall resists giving a single formula for 'tragedy'.He instead analyzes eight great literary works and finds in them a certain way of seeing the world which he calls 'the tragic vision'. Chapters are given to : ' Job, 'Oedipus the King, Marlowe's 'Doctor Faustus' 'King Lear' 'The Scarlet Letter' 'Moby Dick' 'The Brothers Karamzov' Faulkner's 'Absalom Absalom. Interspersed among these are chapters on 'The Tragic Form' 'Tragedy and Christianity' 'Tragedy and the Modern World'. He begins with 'Job' and sees it iniating what he calls the 'tragedy of alienation' He sees it as 'behind Melville, Dostoevski and Kafka ... its mark is on all tragedy of alienation ... in which there is a sense of separation from a once known normative and loved diety or cosmic order or principle of conduct. In emphasizing dilemna , choice, wretchedness of soul and guilt, it spiritualized the Promethean theme of Aeschylus and made it more acceptable to the Christian imagination'.. Sewall does not really give an intense analysis of each work but draws his own conception in quite general terms. But he makes it clear that the tragic figure is not the passive figure , but rather one ' who fights against his destiny' and who pushes himself and the situation to the limits. "Job on the ash- heap, Prometheus on the crag, Oedipus in his moment of self- discovery, Lear on the heath, Ahab on his lonely quarter- deck' Sewall sees these characters as testing the very meaning of humanity and the human situation . He sees too in tragedy the artist's deep involvement free from the detachment of satire and comedy. He twice quotes Walpole's life is a ' comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel'. And he clearly finds the tragic attitude a heroic and admirable one. This is an excellent literary study by one of the outstanding teachers of his generation.