Anti-Catastrophe from Marvell to Gaza

Abstract: This essay traces usages of the Greek word "catastrophe" in the Attic tragedians and the Septuagint, as well as those of the the related Latin word catastropha . Andrew Marvell's significant place in the evolution of the modern English sense of the term is explored, as well as the ways in which his prose and poetry express skepticism on applying the formal unity implied by "catastrophe" to historical events. A final section finds a similar skepticism in poetry responding to present-day events in Gaza, as is visible in the work of Ammiel Alcalay, Aharon Shabtai, and Nasser Rabah.