#13- Global Reference, Must Be True, Subject Perspective

[cgleeson]

I am all over the map on this question. A, B and D I eliminated I had a hard time at first then I re-read the question stem......this is the "modern critics assumption" Not my assumption or the author's perspective.... I figured that the critics had Webster wrong all along, they lumped the guy in with everybody else, then bashed him and blamed his incompetence. I'm not going to lie though......C looked really good, if and only if there was a definition of "classical tragedy".
I feel I totally forgot my pre-phrase on this question and overlooked a definition that wasn't there.

[katehos]

Hi Chris!

Great job eliminating (A), (B), and (D)! You're correct that we're trying to figure out what the critics assume (as opposed to the author or someone else). According to the author, the critics definitely had something wrong (illustrated by lines 17-19, "As an Elizabethan playwright, Webster has become prisoner of our critical presuppositions").

In terms of answer choice (C), you've pointed out a great reason why it's incorrect: we don't even have the definition of classical tragedy! Additionally, the author points out how critics consider Webster's contradictory major characters as "though it were an eccentric feature" (lines 15-16) because they assumed that, like his contemporaries, Webster was influenced by Elizabethan dramas where characters are the "embodiment of good or evil" (line 27). Basically, critics assumed that Webster was writing Elizabethan dramas - which feature purely good or evil characters - so they were confused by his morally complicated characters.

We can see this assumption is nicely pointed out by answer choice (E)! We find further support for this in lines 30-32, which say that "Webster seems not to have been influenced by the morality play's model of reality as were his Elizabethan contemporaries." Instead, he drew more influence from Italian dramas that have more morally complicated characters.

Overall, it sounds like your instincts are in the right spot! Just make sure to remember your prephrase and don't be afraid to look back at the text if you need!

I hope this helps
Kate

[cgleeson]

Thank you so much Kate! This really helps me.

Hi Chris!

Great job eliminating (A), (B), and (D)! You're correct that we're trying to figure out what the critics assume (as opposed to the author or someone else). According to the author, the critics definitely had something wrong (illustrated by lines 17-19, "As an Elizabethan playwright, Webster has become prisoner of our critical presuppositions").

In terms of answer choice (C), you've pointed out a great reason why it's incorrect: we don't even have the definition of classical tragedy! Additionally, the author points out how critics consider Webster's contradictory major characters as "though it were an eccentric feature" (lines 15-16) because they assumed that, like his contemporaries, Webster was influenced by Elizabethan dramas where characters are the "embodiment of good or evil" (line 27). Basically, critics assumed that Webster was writing Elizabethan dramas - which feature purely good or evil characters - so they were confused by his morally complicated characters.

We can see this assumption is nicely pointed out by answer choice (E)! We find further support for this in lines 30-32, which say that "Webster seems not to have been influenced by the morality play's model of reality as were his Elizabethan contemporaries." Instead, he drew more influence from Italian dramas that have more morally complicated characters.

Overall, it sounds like your instincts are in the right spot! Just make sure to remember your prephrase and don't be afraid to look back at the text if you need!

I hope this helps
Kate