--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In this sense, we can render the false…" description: "\"“In this sense, we can render the false meaning of catharsis which occurs in pornography with a different meaning than the catharsis we associate with ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/susan-griffin-8475_catharsis_in-this-sense-we-can-render-the-false-me_2336320.jpg" --- # In this sense, we can render the false meaning of… ![“In this sense, we can render the false meaning of catharsis which occurs in pornography with a different meaning than the catharsis we associate with Aristotle's definition of tragedy. For in the tragedy, we weep, grieve and feel pity. We are brought to feeling, we experience both meaning and…” quote by Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/susan-griffin-8475_catharsis_in-this-sense-we-can-render-the-false-me_2336320.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/susan-griffin-8475_catharsis_in-this-sense-we-can-render-the-false-me_2336320.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/susan-griffin-8475_catharsis_in-this-sense-we-can-render-the-false-me_2336320.jpg) > ““In this sense, we can render the false meaning of catharsis which occurs in pornography with a different meaning than the catharsis we associate with Aristotle's definition of tragedy. For in the tragedy, we weep, grieve and feel pity. We are brought to feeling, we experience both meaning and sensation at the same time, tremble in our bodies and our souls. Thus we weep over the death of Iphigenia, of Tristan and Iseult, of Madame Bovary. In experiencing these feelings, we have tapped a part of ourselves which had perhaps been quiet for some time. Which indeed, in this stillness, we were not certain was even there. Or had even forgotten. And thus, when we weep at this tragic playing out before our eyes of a drama which touches our hearts, a part of ourselves we had left in shadow comes back to us and is named and is lived. But pornographic catharsis moves from altogether different needs. For, we know, one does not weep over the death of Justine. One does not feel at all. Rather, one experiences only sensation and mastery. If there is a vulnerable part of oneself that would weep, this vulnerability is projected onto the body of a woman who is punished, and is destroyed there. And so we cease, in this projection, to recognize this vulnerability as a part of ourselves. Rather than reclaim a feeling, or own a part of ourselves once more, we disown ourselves. What pornography calls "catharsis" leads to denial and not to knowledge.”” [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Griffin contrasts classical tragedy’s emotional release, which reconnects us with hidden feelings, with pornography’s false catharsis that replaces feeling with sensation and domination, leading to self‑denial. **In simple terms:** True catharsis reveals hidden emotions; porn’s version hides them. Key Takeaway Recognize and own vulnerable feelings instead of projecting them. Themes emotions self‑knowledge art culture psychology Mood critical reflective analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - theatre criticism - media analysis - personal reflection - education - therapy Key Concepts catharsis projection vulnerability identity repression Questions to Reflect On - What feelings do you suppress? - How does media shape your emotional awareness? A Different Perspective Pornography’s “catharsis” may reinforce objectification and avoid genuine emotional work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Catharsis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catharsis/) [Catharsis Moves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catharsis-moves-5639245/) [Catharsis Occurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catharsis-occurs-5639244/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Madame Bovary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madame-bovary/) [Meaning Catharsis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-catharsis-5639243/) [Pornographic Catharsis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pornographic-catharsis-5639242/) [Pornography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pornography/) [Sadomasochism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadomasochism/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) ## Related quotes > [Recent literature on transsexualism in the lesbian community draws connections with the practices of sadomasochism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jeffreys/recent-literature-on-transsexualism-in-the-lesbian-community-draws/) [Sheila Jeffreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jeffreys/) > [“So he likes being mean to you," she said. "And you like that he likes being mean to you." "And I like being mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-walker/so-he-likes-being-mean-to-you-she-said-and-you-like-that-he-likes/) [Kristin Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-walker/) > [“Master, I love how you make me feel. I love how you hurt me." She gasped again at a hard tug. "I'm here for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verity-ant/master-i-love-how-you-make-me-feel-i-love-how-you-hurt-me-she-gasped/) [Verity Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verity-ant/) > [SM is an abbreviation of both stock market and sadomasochism-- and there are those who think they are one and the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/sm-is-an-abbreviation-of-both-stock-market-and-sadomasochism-and/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [“You really want to go out to dinner?" Gabriel shot Rase a skeptical look out of the corner of his eye. "As opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anah-crow/you-really-want-to-go-out-to-dinner-gabriel-shot-rase-a-skeptical/) [Anah Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anah-crow/) > [“Frequently, and not only in the popular usage, sadomasochism is confounded with love. Masochistic phenomena, especially, are looked upon as expressions of love. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/frequently-and-not-only-in-the-popular-usage-sadomasochism-is/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Millions of couples out there practiced the art of sadomasochism every day, without even realizing it. They went to work, came back, complained about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/millions-of-couples-out-there-practiced-the-art-of-sadomasochism/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“He drank in her misery like fine wine, savoring every drop, letting it soothe his mind, his tension flowing out the fingertips that held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verity-ant/he-drank-in-her-misery-like-fine-wine-savoring-every-drop-letting-it/) [Verity Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verity-ant/) > [“She set her hands neatly in her lap. “But you just said he liked you.” “No, I said he enjoys my company. That is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-walker/she-set-her-hands-neatly-in-her-lap-but-you-just-said-he-liked-you-no/) [Kristin Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-walker/) > [Sadomasochism is an institutionalized celebration of dominant/subordinate relationships. And, it prepares us either to accept subordination or to enforce dominance. Even in play, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/sadomasochism-is-an-institutionalized-celebration-of-dominant/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“Basic Carpentry in the afternoon, and Sadomasochism 101 in the evening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tymber-dalton/basic-carpentry-in-the-afternoon-and-sadomasochism-101-in-the-evening/) [Tymber Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tymber-dalton/) > [“Dad once noted (somewhat morbidly, I thought at the time) that American institutions would be infinitely more successful in facilitating the pursuit of knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/dad-once-noted-somewhat-morbidly-i-thought-at-the-time-that-american/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [She (Madame Bovary) had that indefinable beauty that comes from happiness, enthusiasm, success - a beauty that is nothing more or less than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/she-madame-bovary-had-that-indefinable-beauty-that-comes-from/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [All fiction is based on truth - 'Madame Bovary' is based on a true story!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/all-fiction-is-based-on-truth-madame-bovary-is-based-on-a-true-story/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [I always wanted to be Jo in 'Little Women.' She's a bit reckless and feckless, always getting into trouble like me. But I'm probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-townsend/i-always-wanted-to-be-jo-in-little-women-she-s-a-bit-reckless-and/) [Sue Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-townsend/) ## More by Susan Griffin > [Telling a story of illness, one pulls a thread through a narrow opening flanked on one side by shame and the other by trivia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/telling-a-story-of-illness-one-pulls-a-thread-through-a-narrow/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [Is it a coincidence that stories from the private life became more popular just as the grand hope for public redemption through revolution was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/is-it-a-coincidence-that-stories-from-the-private-life-became-more/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [How many small decisions accumulate to form a habit? What a multitude of decisions, made by others, in other times, must shape our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/how-many-small-decisions-accumulate-to-form-a-habit-what-a-multitude/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [Just as the slave master required the slaves to imitate the image he had of them, so women, who live in a relatively powerless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/just-as-the-slave-master-required-the-slaves-to-imitate-the-image-he/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [Gender is a way to hide from the simple truth we all tell: 'Hey, I'm here, I have a body.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/gender-is-a-way-to-hide-from-the-simple-truth-we-all-tell-hey-i-m/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [“I am not so different in my history of abandonment from anyone else after all. We have all been split away from each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/i-am-not-so-different-in-my-history-of-abandonment-from-anyone-else/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [ “\[P\]erhaps we are like stones; our own history and the history of the world embedded in us, we hold a sorrow deep within and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/p-erhaps-we-are-like-stones-our-own-history-and-the-history-of-the/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [“The world of fundamental religion does not recognize even the slightest variation in meaning should this meaning fall outside its own definition of truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/the-world-of-fundamental-religion-does-not-recognize-even-the/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [We are nature. We are nature seeing nature. The red-winged blackbird flies in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/we-are-nature-we-are-nature-seeing-nature-the-red-winged-blackbird/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [Before a secret is told, one can often feel the weight of it in the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/before-a-secret-is-told-one-can-often-feel-the-weight-of-it-in-the/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [What always seems miraculous is when aesthetic necessities yield an insight which otherwise I would have missed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/what-always-seems-miraculous-is-when-aesthetic-necessities-yield-an/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [A story is told as much by silence as by speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/a-story-is-told-as-much-by-silence-as-by-speech/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [And if the professional rapist is to be separated from the average dominant heterosexual (male), it may be mainly a quantitative difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/and-if-the-professional-rapist-is-to-be-separated-from-the-average/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [“If these pages are thick with death, think of the battlefield. Corpses in different stages of decay, the slowly dying, moments of death exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/if-these-pages-are-thick-with-death-think-of-the-battlefield-corpses/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [“We heard of this woman who was out of control. We heard that she was led by her feelings. That her emotions were violent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/we-heard-of-this-woman-who-was-out-of-control-we-heard-that-she-was/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) [Explore all 80 Susan Griffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) ## More Catharsis quotes > [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself . . . with incidents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/a-tragedy-is-the-imitation-of-an-action-that-is-serious-and-also-as/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Music is my catharsis for that. It's an incredible blessing that I have this way of expressing myself through music and lyric, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbra/music-is-my-catharsis-for-that-it-s-an-incredible-blessing-that-i/) [Kimbra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbra/) > [This living, this living, this living Was never a project of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/this-living-this-living-this-living-was-never-a-project-of-mine/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [It's difficult to define catharsis. But I think that only those who acknowledge and respond to unseen worlds and energies can harness the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyon-gyon/it-s-difficult-to-define-catharsis-but-i-think-that-only-those-who/) [Hyon Gyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyon-gyon/) > [Good practice, everyone," Rusty said at last. "Light on the actual learning, heavy on the emotional catharsis, and thanks to Jared I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/good-practice-everyone-rusty-said-at-last-light-on-the-actual/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Rarely is the pain of losing someone expressed with such directness, energy, and, yes, humor. The grief in Evan Kuhlman'sWolf Boyis palpable, and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-orner/rarely-is-the-pain-of-losing-someone-expressed-with-such-directness/) [Peter Orner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-orner/) > [I thought music could take you to a place where you didn't even feel ownership of it, you just felt lucky you were there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-schultz/i-thought-music-could-take-you-to-a-place-where-you-didn-t-even-feel/) [Wesley Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-schultz/) > [My view of actors is that basically they're all harmless lunatics who'd be on the psychiatrist's couch, except that we get this sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/my-view-of-actors-is-that-basically-they-re-all-harmless-lunatics-who/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [Knowing about comedy has helped me with the drama. To see people laugh, it's like there are moments of catharsis in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/knowing-about-comedy-has-helped-me-with-the-drama-to-see-people-laugh/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [I still wrestle with the catharsis of acting. I don't end up playing a lot of likable characters, so I find myself living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ransone/i-still-wrestle-with-the-catharsis-of-acting-i-don-t-end-up-playing-a/) [James Ransone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ransone/) > [ Was there happiness at the end \[of the movie\], they wanted to know. If someone were to ask me today whether the story of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/was-there-happiness-at-the-end-of-the-movie-they-wanted-to-know-if/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Life goes on, unmindful of beginning, end…crisis or catharsis, moving forward like a slow, dusty caravan of kochis (nomads).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/life-goes-on-unmindful-of-beginning-end-crisis-or-catharsis-moving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [The thing should have plot and character, beginning, middle and end. Arouse pity and then have a catharsis. Those were the best principles I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/the-thing-should-have-plot-and-character-beginning-middle-and-end/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“That's what it is. That's what my morning was like: all these real physical heavy positive vibrations, the soul of this tape. The fuzzy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/that-s-what-it-is-that-s-what-my-morning-was-like-all-these-real/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) [Browse all 112 Catharsis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catharsis/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In this sense, we can render the false meaning of catharsis which occurs in pornography with a different meaning than the catharsis we associate with Aristotle's definition of tragedy. For in the tragedy, we weep, grieve and feel pity. We are brought to feeling, we experience both meaning and sensation at the same time, tremble in our bodies and our souls. Thus we weep over the death of Iphigenia, of Tristan and Iseult, of Madame Bovary. In experiencing these feelings, we have tapped a part of ourselves which had perhaps been quiet for some time. Which indeed, in this stillness, we were not certain was even there. Or had even forgotten. And thus, when we weep at this tragic playing out before our eyes of a drama which touches our hearts, a part of ourselves we had left in shadow comes back to us and is named and is lived. But pornographic catharsis moves from altogether different needs. For, we know, one does not weep over the death of Justine. One does not feel at all. Rather, one experiences only sensation and mastery. If there is a vulnerable part of oneself that would weep, this vulnerability is projected onto the body of a woman who is punished, and is destroyed there. And so we cease, in this projection, to recognize this vulnerability as a part of ourselves. Rather than reclaim a feeling, or own a part of ourselves once more, we disown ourselves. 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