The literary term catharsis

1. Prepared By : Munjpara Maitri Rajendrabhai Roll No .: 22 Enrolment no .: PG13101023 Semester : 1 Year : 2013-14 Submitted To , Smt. S.B. Gardi Department of English Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University Bhavnagar Gujarat-India

2. What is Catharsis?

3. Basic information about word Catharsis : Catharsis is taken from the Greek verb Kathoros. It is translated as “To Purify” or “To clean” or “To get Emotional Release”. The term can applied in many different situation. Now a days the term used in medicine .

4. Catharsis in literature Catharsis, a term in dramatic art describes the effect of tragedy on the audience. There have been, for political or aesthetic reasons, deliberate attempts made to subvert the effect of catharsis in theatre. Three main aspects of catharsis: “purification, purgation, and intellectual clarification.”

5. Views of Aristotle In literature, Catharsis takes on a slightly different meaning. Aristotle has first used in his work “The Poetics”. He used it to discuss how drama can effect individual to the viewer. A good drama can raise the strong emotions. Viewer can leave theatre with refreshed and purified in emotional experience .

6. Examples of Catharsis : Bertolt Brecht viewed catharsis as a pap (pablum) for the bourgeois  theatre audience, and designed dramas which left significant emotions unresolved, intending to force social action upon the audience . Brecht reasoned that the absence of a cathartic resolution would require the audience to take political action in the real world, in order to fill the emotional gap they had experienced vicariously.

7. Debate by Aristotle and Plato on Catharsis Aristotle : After expressing their emotions, audience can feel relief. Drama leads to the sensible mind. Plato : Drama and poetry could make negative effect on viewers mind. Lead them to act very aggressively.

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