Heath, M orcid.org/0000-0001-6757-2087 (2014) Aristotle and the Value of Tragedy. The British Journal of Aesthetics, 54 (2). pp. 111-123. ISSN 0007-0904
Abstract
This article explores Aristotle’s understanding of the value of tragedy. The primarily technical analyses of the Poetics are not sufficient for this purpose: they must be read in the context of Aristotle’s philosophical anthropology. An outline of Aristotle’s understanding of the structure of human motivation provides a framework within which to interpret his discussion of the uses of music, and in particular of music’s status as an intrinsically valuable component of cultivated leisure. Applying that model to tragedy requires an explanation of what motivates engagement with drama that evokes distressing affects. Aristotle’s account of musical katharsis, if read with sufficient attention to its structure and interpreted in the light of his analysis of pleasure, provides a solution. If the importance which Aristotle attaches to intrinsically valuable leisure activities is overlooked, it is not possible to understand his conception of a good human life, or his aesthetics.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: | |
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) British Society of Aesthetics 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society of Aesthetics. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in British Journal of Aesthetics following peer review. The version of record Heath, M (2014) Aristotle and the Value of Tragedy. The British Journal of Aesthetics, 54 (2). pp. 111-123 is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/aesthj/ayu006 |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Humanities (Leeds) > Classics (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 19 Jul 2018 08:23 |
Last Modified: | 24 Nov 2020 04:42 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/aesthj/ayu006 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:133338 |