Hi pinklady,
Thank you for an interesting question. :)
Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines tragic and tragedy:
Main Entry: trag·ic
Pronunciation: 'tra-jik
Variant(s): also trag·i·cal /-ji-k&l/
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin tragicus, from Greek tragikos,
irregular from tragOidia tragedy
1 : of, marked by, or expressive of tragedy <the tragic significance
of the atomic bomb -- H. S. Truman>
2 a : dealing with or treated in tragedy <the tragic hero> b :
appropriate to or typical of tragedy
3 a : regrettably serious or unpleasant : DEPLORABLE, LAMENTABLE <a
tragic mistake> b : marked by a sense of tragedy
- trag·i·cal·ly /-ji-k(&-)lE/ adverb
Main Entry: trag·e·dy
Pronunciation: 'tra-j&-dE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -dies
Etymology: Middle English tragedie, from Middle French, from Latin
tragoedia, from Greek tragOidia, from tragos goat (akin to Greek
trOgein to gnaw) + aeidein to sing -- more at TROGLODYTE, ODE
1 a : a medieval narrative poem or tale typically describing the
downfall of a great man b : a serious drama typically describing a
conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (as destiny) and
having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or
terror c : the literary genre of tragic dramas
2 a : a disastrous event : CALAMITY b : MISFORTUNE
3 : tragic quality or element
=================================================
Pudd'nhead Wilson as a tragic novel
http://www.cwoc.ufl.edu/owl/archives/flap/messages/385.html
Pudd?nhead Wilson is considered by most as a tragic novel. This is
true because it contains many tragic heroes. Tom is the main tragic
hero in the story. He can be considered a tragic hero according to the
rules of Aristotle. Aristotle gives five key characteristics that a
tragic hero must have, all of which are found in Tom?s personality.
First, Tom?s story can be considered tragic because of the reversal of
fortune that he was subject to. Tom was originally known as Chambers
and was a slave. By a reversal..."
=================================================
Aristotle`s Tragedy Defining a Tragedy Greek...
http://www.instant-essays.com/philosophy/aristotles-tragedy.shtml
"Aristotle defines a tragic hero as one who must have high status but
must also be noble and virtuous. However, though the tragic hero is
highly distinguished, he is not perfect. His imperfection is called
the tragic flaw. The tragic hero suffers misfortune brought about by
some error or frailty, not because of wickedness or cruelty. In the
Bacchae, Pentheus fulfills Aristotle?s necessary qualities of a tragic
hero. His demise is caused by his tragic flaws of excessive pride and
overconfidence. He rejects the Bacchic rites because he is too proud
to follow the cult and overly confident that he can defeat the powers
of the gods. One aspect of Euripides? play that differs from
Aristotle?s ideal tragedy is that the tragic hero in fails to gain
self-knowledge at the moment of his downfall. Pentheus does not
increase awareness of his actions before his downfall. Although the
tragic hero does not experience recognition, the element of
recognition is still present in the play. Agave, Pentheus? mother,
realizes her action of killing her own son before her consequent
downfall. However..."
=================================================
Advice on Novel Writing by Crawford Kilian
http://www.steampunk.com/sfch/writing/ckilian/
"A tragic story describes an integrated individual who becomes
isolated; death is simply a symbol of this isolation. The plot should
keep us in some degree of suspense about what kind of story we're
reading. Even if we know it's a comedy, the precise nature of the
comic climax should come as a surprise. If we know the hero is doomed,
his downfall should stem from a factor we know about but have not
given sufficient weight to."
[edit]
"To paraphrase Frye very crudely, every story is about a search for
identity. That identity depends largely on the protagonist's position
(or lack of position) in society. A tragic story shows a person who
moves from a socially integrated position (the Prince of Denmark, the
King of Thebes) to a socially isolated one (a dead prince, a blind
beggar). A comic story shows a person moving from social isolation
(symbolized by poverty, lack of recognition, and single status) to
social integration (wealth, status, and marriage to one's beloved)."
=================================================
INTRODUCTION TO GREEK TRAGEDY
http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/dunkle/studyguide/tragedy.htm
Genre
"As was noted in the discussion of the Iliad, the word "tragedy"
refers primarily to tragic drama: a literary composition written to be
performed by actors in which a central character called a tragic
protagonist or hero suffers some serious misfortune which is not
accidental and therefore meaningless, but is significant in that the
misfortune is logically connected with the hero's actions. Tragedy
stresses the vulnerability of human beings whose suffering is brought
on by a combination of human and divine actions, but is generally
undeserved with regard to its harshness. This genre, however, is not
totally pessimistic in its outlook. Although many tragedies end in
misery for the characters, there are also tragedies in which a
satisfactory solution of the tragic situation is attained.
Reading Tragedy
Tragedy was a public genre from its earliest beginnings at Athens..."
=================================================
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/oldman/section1.html
"Yet, although Hemingway?s message in The Old Man and the Sea is
tragic in many respects, the story of Santiago and the destruction of
his greatest catch is far from dismal. Unlike Frederic, Santiago is
not defeated by his enlightenment. The narrator emphasizes..."
=================================================
The Old Man and His Sea By Chelsea Sherrick, High School Student
http://www.literatureclassics.com/essays/1036/
The contemplation of Earnest Hemmingways' novella The Old Man and the
Sea is explained as a masterpiece of intricate symbolism.
"As you close the book you wonder of the gloomy feelings cast upon the
beautiful twilight by the old man and his boat. The Old Man and the
Sea, written by Ernest Hemingway is a short novel that contains what
seems a simple story of an old man and a fish, but when further
contemplated is a masterpiece of intricate symbolism, threaded
together with the delicate strands that together form the unbreakable
network life. Further will be explained Hemingway?s? use of symbolism
in this tragic novella, how it is linked together, and what the story
is really about.
The great DiMaggio, is referred to many times in the story, Joe
DiMaggio had humble beginnings in life. He was one of nine children,
his parents Italian immigrants. His father was a fisherman, like the
old man, yet Joe rose to greatness. DiMaggio is a sign of everlasting
hope in the story, and is linked to the marlin; Santiago had respect
for both the Marlin and DiMaggio, and could relate to them both. He
spoke to the fish as his brother, his equal. The fish is also part of
his struggle that connects to his hands. The old mans hands are a huge
part of the book and one of the three main symbols, his hands
represent strength, betrayal, and religion all in one. His right hand
is cut, while his left hand is bleeding, his hands are his strength,
they make his work. Yet his left hand cramps and is a difficulty for
him. All through the book his hands are more and more battered like
Jesus,
"Then he saw the old man?s hands and began to cry..."
[edit]
"Therefore, to him the sea was a lovable yet uncontrollable thing.
The old man is living in a confusing and world, he is on the
uncontrollable sea, which holds his future, it is constantly changing
and you wonder if he is going to make it home at all. Yet he has one
unaltering factor in his life, the skiff. It is his prison and his
savior, and it is constant throughout the book. The sail was what
brought him home at night, yet was a depressing reminder of his
poverty, still it did it?s job,
The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like a
permanent flag of defeat.
(Pg.9) The sail is like Santiago, old, worn, tired, and hard working.
When the old man gets..."
[edit]
"This book can be viewed as either optimistic or pessimistic. I chose
to see it as neither, because all in all this book is about how you
learn from life how to live, but in the end it?s life that kills you.
The story of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway though it
seems simplistic, is really a tediously well thought out web of
symbolism that represents life?s lessons, trials, and joys.
Hemingway?s beautiful symbolism in this short novel and the
associations he uses, tell the real tale of the old man and his sea."
=================================================
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
http://users.skynet.be/deroeck/school/old_man/old_man.html
"Read as an adventure story, "The Old Man and the Sea" grips young and
old. Its prose is simple, the narrative pattern lucid. The line of
dramatic action curves up and down with a classic purity design.
Santiago?s stubborn courage, unweakening strength and marvellous skill
sustain suspense till the tragic end. However, as simple as the story
seems to be, it implies a complicated system of meanings and values.
Hemingway said of the story that the old man, the boy, the sea, the
fish and the sharks were all real. "But if I made them good and true
enough," he went on, "They would mean many things." E.g. : a. One can
say that the old man broke the rules of his calling as a fisherman by
going out too far. That was the sin of presumption or hubris
(=insolent pride), for which he was punished by losing the fish. But
he had fought and loved and killed the fish as a fisherman should, and
therefore he was not defeated in his ultimate purpose: to win the
battle over loneliness by proving his right to human companionship. He
wins the battle in his humble fashion: Seeing the huge skeleton, other
fishermen respect him again and the boy comes back to the old man?s
boat."
=================================================
And Remains Standing at the End
http://lorenwebster.net/In_a_Dark_Time/archives/cat_hemingways_old_man_and_the_sea.html
"Driven by bad luck, Santiago had chosen to risk the unknown rather
than to be content with having to live on the charity of those who
felt sorry for him. He had gone beyond the boundaries of his fellow
fisherman and caught the big one, proven that he was, indeed, one of
the great ones. In going beyond his limits to prove himself worthy,
though, he had also carried the seeds of his own defeat. Those who
dare the impossible often discover why it is called the impossible.
Of course, there is another way of seeing the story, the way I think
Hemingway intended for it to be seen, and the one I choose to see it
by. In this view, Santiago is not a tragic hero. He cannot be a tragic
hero because he does not fail. He is not defeated. He is not defeated
because he does not allow himself to be defeated..."
=================================================
Free Essays on The Old Man and the Sea - Tragedy Essay
http://www.antiessays.com/essay.php?eid=1698
"Tragedy is defined as a dramatic or heroic or literary work depicting
a protagonist engaged in a orally significant struggle ending in ruin
of profound disappointment. Hemingway?s, the Old Man and the Sea is no
doubt a very tragic novel.
The story starts off with the narrator explaining how Santiago, the
old man, had gone 84 days without catching a fish, making the reader
feel sorry for Santiago right off the start. The boy is a companion of
Santiago who?s been fishing with him, like an assistant, but still
believes the old man is a great fisherman. The boy?s parents call the
old man Salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy abiding
by his parents went with another boat, which caught three fish in one
week. It made the boy sad to see the old man with no fish, so the boy,
Manolin, helped Santiago every time he went out to catch fish. So the
reader gets a good view of the old man?s situation from almost the
very beginning of the book.
Santiago has a strong will and will not give up no matter what. He
promises to the boy, and himself that he will catch the biggest fish
ever, on the 85th day since he last caught a fish. Santiago..."
=================================================
Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780684801223&displayonly=CRV&idx=0
"As though the two were brothers in nature. The old man apologizes to
the fish. He felt a deep love and respect for this noble creature. The
test of endurance continues & lack of sleep etc. The old man dreams of
lions. Aristotle pointed out that pity is a vital ingredient of
tragedy. The quality of pity completes the tragic situation. The
dreaming of lions symbolizes the old mans strength in his younger
years. For the reader to learn the fate of the old man they must read
the book. Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Noble prize and the
Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1954 and 1955."
=================================================
Keyword search:
tragic novel definition
characteristics tragic novel
tragic fiction
the old man and the sea tragic novel
the old man and the sea struggle
tragic hero
Best regards,
tlspiegel |
