Principles of Tragedy

Book excerpt: What is tragedy? What does the term imply? The word had outgrown its original context of literature and art and acquired wider and looser meanings. Originally published in 1968, Dr Brereton seeks to establish the basis of a definition which will hold good on various planes and over a wide range of dramatic and other literature. Various theories are examined, beginning with Aristotle and taking in the Marxist interpretation and the two main religious theories of the sacrificial hero and the built-in conflict in fallen human nature. These theories are tested out on representative works by Sophocles, Shakespeare, Racine, Ibsen, Beckett and others, and the findings which emerge are developed in the course of the book. This is conceived as a re-exploration of a widely debated subject in the light of a few clear basic principles. The result is a lucid study which will be especially valuable for students of literature and drama.