Katharsis im 19. Jahrhundert

It was Aristotle who first postulated the cathartic impact of tragedy, and this connection has continued to be a subject of discussion ever since. This study inquires into the break with tradition precipitated by Jacob Bernays with his medical interpretation of catharsis as “unburdening.” Breuer and Freud followed Bernays in their model of hysteria, as did Nietzsche in his philosophy of life.