This volume sets out to discuss a crucial question for ancient comedy what makes Aristophanes funny? Too often Aristophanes' humour is taken for granted as merely a tool for the delivery of political and social commentary. But Greek Old Comedy was above all else designed to amuse people, to win the dramatic competition by making the audience laugh the hardest. Any discussion of Aristophanes therefore needs to take into account the ways in which his humour actually works.
This question is addressed in two ways. The first half of the volume offers an in-depth discussion of humour theory a field heretofore largely overlooked by classicists and Aristophanists examining various theoretical models within the specific context of Aristophanes' eleven extant plays. In the second half, contributors explore Aristophanic humour more practically, examining how specific linguistic techniques and performative choices affect the reception of humour, and exploring the range of subjects Aristophanes tackles as vectors for his comedy. A focus on performance shapes the narrative, since humour lives or dies on the stage it is never wholly comprehensible on the page alone.
Recenzijos
A most stimulating academic discussion. * Classics for All *
Daugiau informacijos
A collection of essays addressing the fundamental question of how Aristophanes was and is funny.
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xi | |
| Notes on Contributors |
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xii | |
| Preface |
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xv | |
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1 Introduction: Dissecting the Frog(s) |
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1 | (10) |
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11 | (106) |
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2 Beyond a Joke: Making Humour Theory Work with Aristophanes |
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13 | (10) |
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3 Play as Shared Psychological Register: Paidia, Laughter and Aristophanes |
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23 | (16) |
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4 Aristophanic Incongruities |
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39 | (14) |
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5 Laughter, or Aristophanes' Joy in the Face of Death |
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53 | (16) |
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6 Laughter and Collective Trauma in Aristophanic Comedy |
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69 | (10) |
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7 The Satirist as Troll? Sociopathic Strains in Aristophanes |
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79 | (10) |
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8 The Hilarious Politics of the Supernatural in Aristophanic Comedy |
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89 | (12) |
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9 Aristotle on Aristophanic Humour |
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101 | (16) |
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117 | (98) |
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10 Surface and Deep Aristophanic Parody |
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119 | (10) |
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11 A Grammar of Para Prosdokian |
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129 | (16) |
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12 Laughing against the Machine |
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145 | (8) |
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13 No Laughing Matter? The Comic Potential of Madness in Aristophanes |
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153 | (14) |
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14 Sexual Violence and Aristophanic Humour |
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167 | (16) |
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15 Aristophanes, Philosopher: The Comedy of Truth in Nietzsche and Freud |
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183 | (10) |
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16 Melancholia and Laughter: Modern Greek Productions of Aristophanes in the Twenty-First Century |
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193 | (12) |
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17 Saving Classics with the Clouds: A Case Study in Adapting Aristophanes |
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205 | (10) |
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| Notes |
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215 | (38) |
| Bibliography |
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253 | (26) |
| Index |
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279 | |
Peter Swallow is the Tassos and Angele Nomikos Research Associate at Kings College London, UK. He teaches Classics at Notting Hill and Ealing High School, and has previously taught at KCL and Goldsmiths, University of London. His doctorate explored the Victorian reception of Old Comedy, and his publications include studies on the translation and performance of Aristophanes.
Edith Hall is Professor of Classics at the University of Durham and Consultant Director of the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama in Oxford, UK. Her books on ancient Greek culture and its reception include The Return of Ulysses (2008), Greek Tragedy (2010), Adventures with Iphigenia in Tauris (2013) and Introducing the Ancient Greeks (2015).
