LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 17:4 April 2017
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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The Classicists’ Myopia and the Neo-Classicists’ Foresight in Perceiving
the Superiority of Epic over Tragedy: A Critical Survey

Dr. S. Joseph Arul Jayraj


Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present before the readers the relative merits of epic and tragedy that are handed down the timeline and enable the readers to establish the superiority of epic over tragedy. In order to render justice to the objective aimed at, the paper traces and presents to the readers a critical survey of the variegated critical aspects of the critics such as Plato (427-347 BCE), Aristotle (384-322 BCE), John Dryden(1631-1700), Joseph Addison (1672-1719), and Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784).

Keywords: Republic, Poetics, epic vs tragedy, classicist myopia, neo-classicist

Introduction

Scholars agree on the fact that the art of criticism began in ancient Greece in the Age of Pericles which was the golden age of remarkable creative and intellectual awakening (Wimsatt & Brooks 3-5). In Europe, the art of criticism began in ancient Greece. The exact time cannot be stated. But in the 4th or 5th century B.C., it positively attracted the attention of the scholars. Scholars and learned men discoursed freely on Religion, Philosophy, Morality, Politics, Art and Literature. Though scholars like Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Socrates and Aristophanes lived during this age, criticism was not systematic before Plato. Literary Criticism was developed into a systematic study first by Plato and followed by Aristotle and others. Plato’s Republic and in Aristotle’s Poetics are known for their scientific observation and analysis. They draw examples and conclusions from Greek literature in order to apply them to all literatures. The purpose of their writing was to sort out principles for making a good writer.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. S. Joseph Arul Jayraj
Head & Associate Professor of English
St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous)
Tiruchirappalli-620 002
Tamil Nadu
India
6jayraj@gmail.com
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