Quotes are what Ann wrote. Non-quotes are my replies.

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Catharsis: the idea that watching and vicariously experiencing the tragedy of others is something that makes you feel good. People, I have never understood it.
I think it is much like the thrill some people get riding a roller coaster. You can get the crap frightened out of you, but you also know deep down you were never in real danger. It gives the emotional experience of terror/fear/rush of excitement at surviving it... all without real risk.

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How about this old Greek tragedy? ...So, people, did it make you feel good?
If I'm in the mood to explore the highs and lows of the human psyche... then yes, I find the experience satisfying. Not "fun" but satisfying.

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How about something still more recent? I read a crime-fic <snip> When I started reading this book, I had absolutely no idea it was going to turn out like this.
And that is why have the "nasty" habit of reading the ending of the book as soon as am far enough into it to know who the basic players are. Drives my husband NUTS. But I am never stunned or betrayed by an author like you were... b/c I peek. And I enjoy reading MORE for having done so. I respect those who don't want spoilers. I'm very careful not to accidentally give a plot away, unless asked to. But I love spoilers. They keep me safe!

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When I was twelve, my parents took me to see a performance of Rigoletto. ... I was twelve years old, just like Rigoletto's daughter. And I imagined ..., the onlookers would start applauding, just like the audience at the opera.
I think you were projecting your own experience onto the scenerio, which is certainly understandable given your age and lack of warning about the ending. In no way do I want to seem like I am minimizing the impact of the experience on YOU, but I don't think your interpretation refleted other audience members' experience. Perhaps the applause was in recognition of a fantastic perfomance? Recognition that the actors/singers brought those characters to LIFE mere feet from where the audience sat.

The catharsis doesn't come from feeling bad...it comes from feeling strongly and then having it end. You go back to real life more thankful, more grateful, more aware. THAT is the part that feels good. But to get there, you have to pay the price of admission. And frankly, I don't think we'd be able to maintain that intensity on a daily basis and stay sane. If I had to "count my blessings" every minute of every day, I'd go nuts. I need to back off a bit, get the job done. Navigate traffic. Pay the bills. Put dinner on the table. But I don't want to live at that distance, either. Fanfic, novels, biographies... they can all pull me back into a deeper emotional state. I hope that makes sense.


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Lois and Clark are unrealistic characters, or at least Clark most certainly is. You don't shed any light on the world we live in by telling a deathfic about Lois and Clark.
I totally disagree here. <grin> Just because they don't exist and aren't "realistic" doen't mean they can't teach us or make us appreciate the human experience. We relate to Clark's feelings of being an outsider. He's a alien, but we've all been "aliens" at one time or another. So we can learn something from Clark, right? Is how death is handled in this universe any diffferent? We all have to face death at some point. If I can get some tips on dealing with it, or practice in processing some of the issues that go along with it.... I'm better prepared for the real thing when it happens. And as far as this particular story... I'd put money on the fact that somewhere, at some time, a truly innocent person HAS been put to death in the name of justice. And loved ones had to endure it. So even this "far fetched" scenerio could happen to different people, in reality. And their pain is very real. They have to decide how to conduct themselves. Shoot the prison warden? Murder the warden's wife next week? Be there to provide moral support during the last moments? Get hysterical and make a scene? Those are real choices they faced, just like Clark did. And there are real consequences... just like in the story.

I hope this helps unmuddy the issue a bit for you Ann. If not...... can you accept that for me, there is indeded redeeming value and "pleasure" that comes from riding an emotional roller coaster, even if the ending is not uplifting? Sometimes the "fun" is the feeling of surviving the ride. Sometimes the pleasure (REAL pleasure) comes later, when I smell the roses and pause a moment, savoring life. It's not the "sadistic" joy of pleasure DURING the pain. It's the pleasure of relief that follows.

Jackie

Jackie N.
jacalynsue@zoominternet.net