Tragic Props and Cognitive Function

Download or read book Tragic Props and Cognitive Function written by Colleen Chaston and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2009-10-26 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By applying aspects of cognitive psychology to a study of three key tragic props, this book examines the importance of visual imagery in ancient Greek tragedy. The shield, the urn and the mask are props which serve as controls for investigating the connection between visual imagery and the spectators' intellectual experience of tragic drama. As vehicles for conceptual change the props point to a function of imagery in problem solving. Connections between the visual and the cognitive in tragedy, particularly through image shape and its potential for various meanings, add a new perspective to scholarship on the role of the visual in ancient performance. These connections also add weight to the importance of imagery in contemporary problem solving and creative thought.