Thinkers in today’s class referred to the pressure that many students feel to achieve “full” understanding of a text.
Even if such an achievement were possible, how would one know when “fullness” happened? Would a text go clunk like a gas pump does when the tank is full?
The question made me wonder how a gas pump knows to stop with that satisfying clunk. I’ve embedded a video below that offers an explanation. Keep it in mind as you read The Bacchae: I’m wondering if all this technical talk about pressure might help offer insight into the dynamics of Euripides’ hard-to-follow play!