Philosophy
The Aesthetics of Tragedy and the Cathartic Experience
Quick fact
Aristotle argued in his Poetics that tragedy, through arousing pity and fear, achieves a 'catharsis' of these emotions—a concept that has intrigued philosophers for centuries and remains central to understanding tragic art.
Why this is interesting
You weep at a tragic film, yet you leave the theater feeling strangely uplifted. Why do we seek out stories that break our hearts?