NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 15, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- In her analysis of six famous plays, Mary A. Mann, Ph.D., advocates that theatrical tragedy is not just an artistic endeavor. In her new book, The Construction of Tragedy: Hubris (now available through AuthorHouse), she proclaims that tragedy can also "ennoble people and ensure the survival of our species."
Using the structural directives of Aristotle's Poetics, six plays are investigated: Sophocles' "Antigone"; Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and "King Lear"; T.S. Eliot's "Murder in the Cathedral"; Robert Bolt's "A Man for All Seasons"; and Jean Paul Sartre's "The Condemned of Altona". Mann writes that dramatists are in a unique position to write about the microcosm of human existence in the universe. It is, in essence, both art and science, she writes.
"Because of this scientific validation, classical tragedy has the potential of being a teacher, an illuminator of how we today can live more constructive and peaceful lives as we abide by the... 'laws' of the universe itself," Mann writes. "It elicits a call to intuit directives on how to handle life situations, which may be used in the world today in order to help preserve this civilization."
The Construction of Tragedy also acts as a clarifier of the broad definition of classical tragedy. She takes apart each play's plot, characters and driving energies. She argues that modern playwrights can be artists who are also scientists that craft a microcosm of the universe itself. This presents the universe to people in ethical terms.
The Construction of Tragedy: Hubris takes an intriguing look at the role of writers in a crucial time in human history. It transforms what has been traditionally classified as fine art into an expanded description of both aesthetics and applicable scientific information that can be used to better the world.
Mann has also written Science and Spirituality, the published play ThuGun and Natasha, as well as plays such as "Maria and the Comet" and "The Round Table," published in Two Family Plays. Another play, "Anzac," is scheduled for publication in 2005.
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