The analysis of the elements of Greek tragedy in Donna Tartt's novel The secret history

Abstract

Throughout history, Greek tragedies have consistently inspired writers across generations and epochs. Contemporary writers also look to Greek tragedies as a guide for crafting narratives that both captivate and horrify readers. This thesis examines how the incorporation of elements from Greek tragedy contributes to the development of the plotline and characters in Donna Tartt's novel, The Secret History. The introduction identifies the research gap based on existing studies on Tartt's novel by examining what aspects have not been adequately addressed or explored in previous research. The first chapter introduces the theoretical framework that will be employed for analyzing the elements of Greek tragedy in the novel. Specifically, it focuses on Aristotle’s Poetics, which outlines six categories essential to a tragedy: plot, character, reasoning, diction, song, and spectacle. The emphasis is also placed on exploring the depiction of the tragic hero, with particular attention given to the investigation of a specific tragic flaw: hubris. In the second chapter, an analysis is conducted on the characters within the novel to determine whether their actions and resulting qualities correspond to Aristotle’s description of tragic characters. The analysis focuses on the character of Henry Winter, who is presented as the tragic hero of the novel. Additionally, the character of Richard is analyzed as embodying the role of the chorus within the novel. The conclusion of the thesis summarizes the main findings of the study and explores how these findings contribute to the existing research on both the novel and the use of Classical narratives in contemporary literature.