| Some thoughts on the essence of the tragic. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 9871833 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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An attempt is made to define the essence of the tragic through an examination of Euripides' 'The Bacchae', a tragedy that deals with the origins of tragedy itself. The action here culminates in the dismemberment of Pentheus by his mother. It is proposed that the tragic may be related to the earliest phases of differentiation of the subject as a separate entity breaking off from the original mother-infant unit. Tragedy, in this view, could be regarded as the enactment of a primal phantasy of the birth of the 'I' as the result of an archaic act of violence. The process of mourning for the loss of the original unity is central to this development. Pentheus' tragic flaw consists in his repudiation of contradictory dualities and his inability to mourn. The integrative function of 'Logos', both in tragedy and in the analytic process, is underlined. It is suggested that 'Logos' aims to generate meaning not by eliminating contradiction but by embodying the foundational human paradox. |
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Authors:
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K I Arvanitakis |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The International journal of psycho-analysis Volume: 79 ( Pt 5) ISSN: 0020-7578 ISO Abbreviation: Int J Psychoanal Publication Date: 1998 Oct |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 1999-03-04 Completed Date: 1999-03-04 Revised Date: 2004-11-17 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 2985179R Medline TA: Int J Psychoanal Country: ENGLAND |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 955-64 Citation Subset: IM |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Bereavement Cultural Characteristics Drama* Emotions Humans Mythology* Psychoanalytic Theory* Self Concept Violence* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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