1. In The Republic, Plato warns that art (and poetry in particular) feeds and waters the passions at the expense of reason. Discuss the ways in which either Madame Bovary, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lolita or one of the poems we read engages with this concern about the danger of art’s emotional appeal. In what ways does art’s appeal adversely affect a character’s development, mental state, or decision-making? What specific emotions are elicited by art in the work? In what ways does a character use art to feed and water these emotions? Are there certain types of emotions to which art appeals that might be considered more dangerous than others? How do these emotions relate to the concept of desire (is desire a form of emotion or something else)?

2. Each of the literary works we have read so far might be considered a tragedy, which Aristotle describes as an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and possessing magnitude€¦ and effecting through pity and fear [what we call] the catharsis of such emotions. Consider to what extent either Madame Bovary, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lolita or one of the poems we read contains what might be called a cathartic moment, when these emotions of pity and/or fear may be elicited in order to ultimately be purged or tempered in the reader in some way. Often catharsis occurs as a result of some recognition, realization or epiphany on the part of a character. How is the cathartic moment made more powerful by its relations to other moments in the work? What details of the particular moment in the work help to elicit an emotional response in the reader? In what ways is sympathy or empathy for the character produced and how does this affect the process of catharsis?

3. One primary concern that runs throughout our readings is the relation between art and nature. Discuss the status of this relation between nature and art in either Madame Bovary, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lolita or one of the poems we read. It would be helpful to first clarify how you interpret nature in the work. In what ways is art merely a reflection of nature, or in what ways does it distort nature somehow? In what ways is art in the work more reflective of the unnatural or supernatural? Is there a privileging of either nature or art over the other in the work? What virtues does nature possess that art lacks, and vice versa? In what ways is there a symbiotic or complementary relation between art and nature?

4. Another primary concern that runs throughout our readings is the relation between art and virtue. Discuss the nature of this relation in either Madame Bovary, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lolita or one of the poems we read. To what extent does art promote virtue or vice in the work? Are there certain types of art that are more prone to promote virtue than others? To what extent is the promotion of either virtue or vice dependent on how art is used by specific characters? In what way does art move a character to either virtue or vice (explain how this movement occurs)? What is the relation between virtue and aesthetics in the work?

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What is the allegory of the cave meant to illustrate? Write an essay answering the question. Support your ideas with relevant arguments and examples. List 2-3 sources in the references