SILVIA MONTIGLIO

GILDERSLEEVE PROFESSOR IN CLASSICS EMERITUS

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

SCHADENFREUDE: A TRAGIC PLEASURE?

Schadenfreude or “pleasure in other people’s misfortunes” has a strong presence on the tragic stage, as a fact and especially as a fear. But did expressions of the emotion provide pleasure to the spectators? Schadenfreude stands opposite to the empathetic and distressful emotions which are at the core of the tragic pleasure. In this talk, I shall review key episodes of tragic schadenfreude and attempt to identify its aesthetic functions.

Monday, March 6th, 2023

6:00PM to 7:00PM

Dodd Hall, Room 205-I