Do we live in tragic times? “America has everything –”, wrote Max Frisch, “except only one thing: a relationship to the tragic.” Is the tragic something to be pursued, like life, liberty – and happiness? Is tragedy the pursuit of unhappiness? Should we worry, should we be happy – when people pursue the tragic? Did Frisch hit the nail on the head – and miss the point? Does German culture have everything – except a healthy relationship to happiness? Is the pursuit of happiness an American way of relating to the tragic? Does tragedy express resignation in the face of things unchangeable, or a sorrow-driven rebellion against the way things are, against the way we are? Are we talking about metaphysics and art when we should be talking about ethics and politics?
The symposium will be a search to define for today a phenomenon that shed light in and on ancient Greece. Does tragic art continue to shed light — does it remain a force of enlightenment — or has it only cast its shadow on times since, more as a sign of resignation and renunciation than illumination? What sense can we make of tragedy? What sense can tragedy make of us?
The conversation on tragedy — with many invited participants but open to the public participation — will begin on Thursday evening with a keynote address by Büchner Prize winning novelist Felicitas Hoppe.
