I decided to use the adjective comical to describe my first post not only because I hope those who read this declaration of sorts will not take it too seriously. I also wanted it to be a comprehensive statement of what I believe is the purpose of literature. In the world of letters I find merit in works of comedy and tragedy. Many of my favorite books do not contain the sort of ending in which the hero gets the girl and the villain gets his just desserts. My favorite poems are not about sunshine nor rainbows. Yet my life contains so many things that bring me joy and happiness. I love to laugh and I read those books which not only make me laugh, but give me reason to recognize and embrace the good in my life. I know that tragedy, with the right application, can be a catalyst which changes the heart for the better. Learning about hard things has enhanced my understanding and broadened my perspective.
I have not been in an English class for three years at this point. I admit that I am a bit rusty when it comes to remembering specific literary terms. Poetry, however, has remained a sacred muse and, more importantly, a stalwart friend throughout the years. Writing prose can be a laborious task. Poetry is fun, poetry is more pure and unencumbered by so many rules and regulations. Poetry exercises my soul. In other words, I like poetry... a lot. Good thing I got in this group.
Do you think of tragedy as being a catharsis as the Greeks did-- a purging-- or as a reminder of the the good in your life?
ReplyDeleteI'm always interested to find the different reactions people have to tragedy. I don't know what it says about me, but I'm usually to affected by the tone of a tragic piece to enjoy it; it makes me feel worse instead of better, in other words. I completely understand that tragedy works for some people, but it has always been hard on me.
I love poetry too Briggs--yayyy!! :D I also love how poetry contains so much meaning in sometimes only a couple of words. It is very hard to be that precise and I have mad respect for poets and love how poetry can be very spiritual.
ReplyDeleteLeah-- sometimes I like the catharsis tragedy brings, for example when I am sad about something else and read a sad story, sometimes it just feels good to cry it all out and let all that emotion free. I also think that after you read something so sad, you realize what is good about your life.
A nice way to launch into our topics. It's interesting to compare how we value and use poetry vs. prose. One of my prior students, Tara Pina, wrote her blog posts as poetry. It was interesting
ReplyDelete