Monday, November 9, 2015

Why so..... dark?

I thought I was attending the symposium session on Shakespeare, but I got the times mixed up and ended up attending a different session that provided me with a ton of interesting insights. One of my favorite quotes from the symposium was that "Literature comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable." I agree with the statement, and I also feel that Shakespeare has had this effect on me. Some characters like King Lear or Leontes have are very disturbing, but they have also made me reflect on redemption, family, and the concept of justice. I think reading about their misdeeds has disturbed my thoughts into thinking about these concepts in a new way. I also feel like Shakespeare has comforted me. Plays like A Midsummer Night's Dream have made me laugh and feel light-hearted in the face of all the stress and the endless to do lists. True literature has this awesome effect of simultaneously challenging your world views while comforting and lifting your heart and soul.
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5 comments:

  1. SheliseNovember 9, 2015 at 9:54 AM

    Wow, yeah, that is a really good quote... and I agree with you completely. So glad I'm an English Major!! ;)

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  2. SaraiNovember 9, 2015 at 10:16 AM

    That is an EXCELLENT point. We have to look at it this way, I think, otherwise we wouldn't get as much out of it. I think this means all English majors are disturbed though haha.

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  3. Erin RitchieNovember 9, 2015 at 10:33 AM

    Ha, I agree with Sarai. I guess we're all disturbed? ;) It's cool to be able to look at a character's choices and to understand some of the impact of those choices (especially bad ones) without having to do any of that stuff ourselves! I like that way we can be challenged with literature.

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    1. rosemaryNovember 9, 2015 at 11:14 AM

      We always get comfortable with whatever our reality is, so being disturbed can be constructive--it can prompt introspection and change. I love the idea of literature basically being a therapist that makes you ask yourself hard questions.

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  4. Jessica DNovember 9, 2015 at 10:37 AM

    I've thought about this a lot while researching tragedies. One of the things I read talked about tragedies and how they are optimistic in a way because the characters always attain some sort of redemption in the end (even if they die). I can see how that could be both disturbing and comforting.

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