I like the idea, but would like to hear more about what you mean by "the direction of irony." Not the presence of irony, but its aim? Its purpose? [insert dissertation on Aristotelian concept of Final Cause]
Although the equation of the hero's flaws with his greatest traits (or their confluence, or superposition) is not perfect, I think it usually works in both comedy and tragedy of the classic sort. Hamlet's tendency to think things over, his intelligence and judiciousness. Lear's authority. Antigone's righteousness (pigheadedness). Rosalind's wit. Viola's doubleness.
The problem is, I think, that it is much harder to define a comic hero as such. They don't have the sharp profile and clear silhouette of tragic heroes. Is Leo Bloom a hero? Is Yossarian? Yes, probably. Sort of. Maybe.
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Date: 9 May 2005 09:27 pm (UTC)Although the equation of the hero's flaws with his greatest traits (or their confluence, or superposition) is not perfect, I think it usually works in both comedy and tragedy of the classic sort. Hamlet's tendency to think things over, his intelligence and judiciousness. Lear's authority. Antigone's righteousness (pigheadedness). Rosalind's wit. Viola's doubleness.
The problem is, I think, that it is much harder to define a comic hero as such. They don't have the sharp profile and clear silhouette of tragic heroes. Is Leo Bloom a hero? Is Yossarian? Yes, probably. Sort of. Maybe.