Aristophanes: Myth, Ritual and Comedy

by A. M. Bowie

Overview

This book examines the plays of the Greek comic writer Aristophanes and attempts to reconstruct the responses of the original audiences by using anthropological techniques to compare the plays with those Greek myths and rituals that share similar story patterns or subject matter. It is the first book to apply this type of analysis systematically to all the comedies, and also differs from earlier studies in that it does not impose a single interpretative structure on the plays. All Greek is translated.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521440127
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/30/1993
Pages:	348
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.98(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Acharnians; 3. Knights; 4. Wasps; 5. Clouds; 6. Peace; 7. Birds; 8. Lysistrata; 9. Thesmophoriazusae; 10. Frogs; 11. Ecclesiazusae; 12. Plutus; 13. Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

"Bowie's book is a refreshing examination of Aristophanes's use of myth and ritual." Martha Habash, Classical Journal

"...the reader will find a wealth of information and detail about ancient rites and festivals, and there are not few places where one's reading of an Aristophanic comedy will be enlarged and enlightened by the material that Bowie adduces." Classical Views

From the Publisher