Papers by Arby Ted Siraki
The paradox of tragedy--that is, why spectators derive pleasure from viewing distressing scenes--... more The paradox of tragedy--that is, why spectators derive pleasure from viewing distressing scenes--occupied the thoughts of many eighteenth-century theorists. Adam Smith, however, seems to have ignored this topic. Given his interest in aesthetic and theatrical matters, it does seem odd that Smith did not contribute at all to this burning eighteenth-century debate. Despite this, I argue that we do have Smith’s solution to the problem of tragedy, but not explicitly stated: we must turn to The Theory of Moral Sentiments and construct one (like Smith, Thomas Hobbes never wrote directly on tragedy, but this has not prevented posterity from constructing a “Hobbesian” tragic theory). This paper describes Smith’s solution to the problem and situates it in the context of the eighteenth-century debate.
Sound symbolism is a linguistic concept that argues, despite Saussure’s (in)famous assertions to ... more Sound symbolism is a linguistic concept that argues, despite Saussure’s (in)famous assertions to the contrary, that the link between signifier and signified is a necessary one. Roman Jakobson remains one of the few noteworthy exponents of the concept in the last century. One aspect of sound symbolism that particularly interested him was “coloured vowels,” that is, the “real” mental correlations of colours with vowels. Though this phenomenon remains inconclusive and under investigation, Jakobson maintained an unwavering belief in its veracity. However, in his discussions of the subject, Jakobson’s rhetoric conceals his assumption that this particular aspect of sound symbolism and its correlations are universal, that is, Jakobson believed, without saying so explicitly, that the perceived coloured values of vowels transcend borders and cultures. This paper demonstrates Jakobson’s rhetorical and allusive strategies to this end, including, for example, his recurring reference to Mallarmé.
Talks by Arby Ted Siraki
Adam Smith and the Problem(s) of Taste
"Adam Smith's Theory of Tragedy"
Adam Smith’s ‘Sympathy': Elaborating on Edmund Burke
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Papers by Arby Ted Siraki
Talks by Arby Ted Siraki