What are tragedies for? Why would we ever read things that make us unhappy? Are they warnings for what to avoid, or are they forms of catharsis to help us release what we already feel but can’t express?
Each story in this list explores a different existential tragedy of life: *grief|/onlinereader/misery*, *abuse|/onlinereader/allez*, *destitution|/onlinereader/the-little-matchstick-girl*, *obsession|/onlinereader/the-hunger-artist*, *false hope|/onlinereader/vanka*, *neglect|/onlinereader/sredni-vashtar*, *racism|/onlinereader/sasha*, *loneliness|/onlinereader/alone*, *selfishness|/onlinereader/my-uncle-jules*, *attention|/onlinereader/a-reputation* and *naivety|/onlinereader/the-battle-of-washington-square*. Together they paint the tragedy of life.