Aristotle's Favorite Tragedy
About this book
Aristotle's Favorite Tragedy, volume 1, is a work of literary criticism and philosophy that examines the foundations of Western dramatic theory. Gregory L Scott analyzes the Poetics to resolve a long-standing scholarly dilemma regarding which plays Aristotle considered the finest. While many readers assume Oedipus is the gold standard of tragedy, Scott argues that Aristotle actually preferred plays with happy endings, such as Cresphontes.
This study of aesthetics and comparative literature redefines the term tragōidia as serious drama about good people that can end in either fortune or misfortune. By exploring the subclasses of tragedy, Scott explains the ranking of plots and provides a new interpretation of the plays of Sophocles and Euripides. The text challenges traditional views on drama and poetry to clarify Aristotle's original intentions regarding plot, recognition, and reversal.