ABSTRACT
Oedipus in Oedipus the King is paragon of the dilemma, because he acted without knowledge bears the blame and punishment. Eagleton cogently argues in Sweet Violence, causality is simply a tricky thing, both in life and in tragic literature. Peripeteia, the ironic reversal of action and intention, points to human freedom and contingency. Guilt and determination mean our actions and motivations are opaque, even to ourselves, as Hamlet struggles to come to grips with his mandate, fear, conscience, and guilt. Dramas and poetry can be performed but also be read, as can closet dramas, prose, and the novel. Literature that is read is a different kind of experience. The argument that premodern literature is superior because gods are present, as Steiner and Balthasar argue, is wrongheaded. Classical gods are, after all, polytheistic, immoral, or amoral. The novel lends itself to Williams' thinking well, because the novel can explore with greater detail the historical contexts of actions, words, lives, and losses.
