Art and Ritual- Reading Reflection

 I decided to use this material for my final paper as I find this particular reading incredibly interesting. Both Ancient Greece and ancient human behavior fascinate me and I believe that Jane Allen Harrison does a fantastic job at lacing together history with philosophy. What is interesting about viewing art with participation as ritual, is that it can be utilized in different ways. First and foremost, the author's main argument is that the Dionysiac rituals that involved choir and playwriting eventually turned into the plays, dramas, and television that we see today. Over time, the ancient ritual became modern art. We can also look at her argument from a modern standpoint, where activities like tourism and the greater phenomenon of globalization can lead people from one country or ethnicity to experience the rituals of another. To the tourist or the foreigner, it is a piece of art, while to the native is it a ritual. 

I do disagree with the author on a few points. Jane Allen Harrison states that the spectators during the Dionysiac ritual viewed it as art and only the performers viewed the activity as ritual. I would have to disagree. Even though they are spectators they are still fully emersed in the customs and culture of Ancient Greece and are there because it is a ritual, entertainment is secondary. They are there to honor their god Dionysus while enjoying plays and different smaller ritualistic activities throughout those three days. I believe that the divide between art and ritual is a little more nuanced than simply adding or subtracting participation, and we need to contextualize each example.