Classics 427/GLITS 311/Honors 210D
Aristotle's Concept of The Tragic in Theory and Practice (A&H, W)
Autumn 2024
MW 8:30-10:20
DEN 113
Instructor: James J. Clauss
E-mail: jjc@uw.edu
Office hours: by appointment via Zoom. I am also available before and after class.
For millennia, Aristotle's definition of Tragedy as preserved in his treatise Poetics influenced theoreticians and literary artists. In this class, we will reexamine this definition as part of his broader theory of mimetic art and his scientific approach to philosophy and literature. Thereafter we will read plays, Classical and post-Classical, applying this definition as a way of critiquing it and perhaps coming to our own understanding of what “The Tragic” is, not only on the stage but in life. The final project will involve the creation of a real or hypothetical dramatic project in which students incorporate their own reactions to Aristotle's definition; that is, students will describe the “tragedy” that they would write in the wake of our readings and discussions. It is not necessary to write a play, but rather a description of the one that they might imagine producing. It is a creative way of assimilating what we learned in class. I will provide my own examples (they are edgy!). Please note: on this assignment, you may NOT use ChatGPT, Large Language Models (LLMs), or any other AI tools to assist you in writing your paper. This includes using these tools to generate ideas or to rephrase or paraphrase yours or others’ work.
After two sessions unpacking Poetics, we’ll read four ancient Greek plays (see schedule below) after which we’ll dedicate a class to reflecting on “The Tragic” seen in these plays. Then we will look at four post-Classical plays followed by a class dedicated to reflecting on “The Tragic” in these plays. After that class, in the first of two workshops, students will come to class with preliminary ideas about the tragedy they would imagine writing and discuss these with each other in small groups in order to get productive feedback in preparation for a second workshop in the final week of class. In weeks 8 through 10 we will look at three more recent plays. This will be followed by our third reflection on “The Tragic” in these plays. The hope is that these reflections will provide greater insight into a student’s personal take on the concept of “The Tragic.” In the final week, there will be the second workshop with students again meeting in class in small groups to move the final project forward for submission no later than Friday of Exam Week. During the last day of class there will be a general discussion about what was learned in the course.
There are no exams. Grades will be determined on the basis of participation in class (20%), three reflections submitted after each of the classes dedicated to reflections (each 4-page double spaced submitted through Canvas, 30%; no ChatGPT, Large Language Models (LLMs), or any other AI tools to assist you in writing your paper) and the final project (8-page double spaced submitted through Canvas 50%; ditto). I will go over these in class.
Please note that there is a lot of reading in this class, but I will go over it all in class with detailed powerpoints. There are no exams on the works. Rather there are 3 reflective essays and one creative project. Also, because this is a course on tragedy, we will encounter murder and suicide and other acts of violence. Please make sure that these are issues you can handle. For assistance with purchasing books for this course, see https://classics.washington.edu/undergraduate-textbook-fund.
Books for the course:
Anthony Kenny (tr) Aristotle Poetics Oxford World’s Classics (ISBN 0199608369)
Sylvan Barnet etc (edd). Eight Great Tragedies New American Library (ISBN: 9780452011724)
Hadas and J. McLean, Ten Plays of Euripides (ISBN 0553213636)
August Wilson. The Piano Lesson (ISBN 0452265347)
David Henry Hwang. M. Butterfly (ISBN 0452272599)
Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire (ISBN: 9780811216029)
Monday Wednesday
Week 1 (9/25) Introduction, Poetics 1
Week 2 (9/30, 10/2) Poetics 2 Oedipus
Week 3 (10/7, 10/9) Hippolytus Medea
Week 4 (10/14, 10/16) Bacchae Reflections on “The Tragic” 1
Week 5 (10/21, 10/23) King Lear Miss Julie
Week 6 (10/28, 10/30) Ghosts Desire under the Elms
Week 7 (11/4, 11/6) Reflections on “The Tragic” 2 Workshop on the play (1)
Week 8 (11/11, 11/13) Veterans’ Day Holiday Streetcar Named Desire
Week 9 (11/18, 11/20) The Piano Lesson M. Butterfly
Week 10 (11/25, 11/27) Reflections on “The Tragic” 3 No Class (Thanksgiving)
Week 11 (12/2, 12/4) Workshop on the play (2) Final Discussion
Important UW policy-related things to know:
- The UW's Religious Accommodations Policy: “Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (Links to an external site.)(Links to an external site.). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.).”
- The UW's Student Conduct Code: "The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/."(Links to an external site.)(Links to an external site.)
- Access and Accommodation: Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.
If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or disability.uw.edu. (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.
- Academic Integrity: University of Washington students are expected to practice high standards of academic and professional honesty and integrity as outlined here:http://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf (Links to an external site.)(Links to an external site.)
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