On the Acceptance of Masochism

Why do we enjoy reading tragedy in literature, who do we pursue melancholy and sadness in music?

This question is typically posed while denying that many people are inherently masochistic and as often as that is denied the affirmative solution of catharsis is proffered. We also read an account of this problem with responses and meta-responses. I think the use of meta-responses was very clever and likely to be true. I am merely contending that catharsis and masochism fit into that paradigm. Masochism is the practice of deriving pleasure from pain, in its most basic form. If the response is painful and sad, and then the meta-response, because the bad emotions were just catharticly removed, is positive, there is an accounting which synthesizes masochism, catharsis, and the meta-response.