Is Tragedy a Religion?

My Interpretation of The Tragic Fallacy by Joseph Krutch

Krutch's writing style is slightly confusing, but from what I could decipher, his goal was to compare tragedy to a religion. “[Tragedy] purges the souls of those who might otherwise despair and it makes endurable the realization that the events of the outward world do not correspond with the desires of the heart and, thus, in its own particular way, it does what all religions do, for it gives a rationality, a meaning, and a justification to the universe.” said Krutch in his essay. He says that tragedy is simply an expression, more specifically an expression of triumph over despair. To Krutch, tragedy is like a religion, it provides a sense of meaning and purpose in life. This meaning and purpose can be interpreted many different ways by many different people, further strengthening the religion analogy. I think what Krutch is implying with his analogy is that tragedy is an important part of human culture. It allows us to connect with the people around us through shared emotion, it allows us to be sympathetic.

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