Catharsis
Pronounced kuh-THAR-sis.
Catharsis: The emotional release an audience feels through experiencing a story's pity, fear and resolution.
Catharsis is the payoff tragedy trades in: the story raises pity and fear it then discharges, and the audience leaves lighter for having grieved safely.
Catharsis examples
"Aristotle's Poetics defines tragedy by this effect: through pity and fear it accomplishes the purging of such emotions."
— Poetics, Aristotle
"Audiences at Romeo and Juliet weep for two fictional teenagers and feel better, not worse, for it."
— Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
"The final reconciliation of King Lear and Cordelia devastates audiences precisely to release them."
— King Lear, Shakespeare
"She finished the last chapter, cried for ten minutes, and felt inexplicably repaired."
— original example
Spot the Catharsis
Score: 0/0The emotional release an audience feels through experiencing a story's pity, fear and resolution.
"Aristotle's Poetics defines tragedy by this effect: through pity and fear it accomplishes the purging of such emotions."
Which work is this from?
Explore every literary device in the poetic devices hub.
Catharsis: common questions
What is catharsis in literature?
The emotional release an audience feels through experiencing a story's pity, fear and resolution. Catharsis is the payoff tragedy trades in: the story raises pity and fear it then discharges, and the audience leaves lighter for having grieved safely.
What is an example of catharsis?
A classic example is "Aristotle's Poetics defines tragedy by this effect: through pity and fear it accomplishes the purging of such emotions." (Poetics, Aristotle).
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