Beginning of Essay
The following is an excerpt from the preface Mr. Miller prepared for Death of a Salesman, to be published by Viking. In this age few tragedies are written. It has often been held that the lack is due to a paucity of heroes among us, or else that modern man has had ....

Middle of Essay
.... by royal beings, but which apply to everyone in similar emotional situations. Not Exclusive More simply, when the question of tragedy in art is not at issue, we never hesitate to attribute to the well-placed and the exalted the very same mental processes as the lowly. And finally, if the exaltation of tragic action were truly a property of the high-bred character alone, it is inconceivable that the mass of mankind should cherish tragedy above all other forms, let alone be capable of understanding it. As a general rule, to which there may be exceptions unknown to me, I think the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a char ....