Tragedy, the perfect tragedy, as Aristotle realised, must depend on a million ‘if only’s.’
—Natalie Haynes, from The Ancient Guide to Modern Life
This is why the old saying goes, “It’s better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven’t done.”
I have used this Aristotelian formula for as long as I have been writing (or at least since I got decent at it). I discussed it at length in “Big Stories Come From Little Stories.”
Last week: Michael Faraday on truth.
Next week: Marianne Moore on poetry and creation.
See the index for what’s been posted and what’s to come.
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