The (i) nature of classical tragedy

Adam

Hi Arjun,

Let's take a look:

The multifaceted nature of classical tragedy in Athens belies the modern image of tragedy: in the modern view tragedy is austere and stripped down, its representations of ideological and emotional conflicts so superbly compressed that there’s nothing (ii) for time to erode.

The big clues for the second blank are "so superbly compressed" and "there’s nothing (ii) for time to erode."

If something is so compressed that there is nothing that could be eroded, we can infer that this thing is stripped down to its essentials. Only what is absolutely necessary has been left.

In contrast, if something is not stripped down to its essentials, we could say that there is something ________ left over that can still be worn away. So, we're looking for something that is the opposite of "essential." "Extraneous" works very well.

Nov 6, 2015 • Reply