Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy
Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Drama is the first book that examines how ancient Greek tragedy engages with the genre of comedy. While scholars frequently study paratragedy (how Greek comedians satirize tragedy), this book investigates the previously overlooked practice of paracomedy: how Greek tragedians regularly appropriate elements from comedy such as costumes, scenes, language, characters, or plots. Drawing upon a wide variety of complete and fragmentary tragedies and comedies (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Rhinthon), this monograph demonstrates that paracomedy was a prominent feature of Greek tragedy. Blending a variety of interdisciplinary approaches including traditional philology, literary criticism, genre theory, and performance studies, this book offers innovative close readings and incisive interpretations of individual plays. Jendza presents paracomedy as a multivalent authorial strategy: some instances impart a sense of ugliness or discomfort; others provide a sense of light-heartedness or humor. While this work traces the development of paracomedy over several hundred years, it focuses on a handful of Euripidean tragedies at the end of the fifth century BCE. Jendza argues that Euripides was participating in a rivalry with the comedian Aristophanes and often used paracomedy to demonstrate the poetic supremacy of tragedy; indeed, some of Euripides' most complex uses of paracomedy attempt to re-appropriate Aristophanes' mockery of his theatrical techniques. Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy theorizes a new, ground-breaking relationship between Greek tragedy and comedy that not only redefines our understanding of the genre of tragedy, but also reveals a dynamic theatrical world filled with mutual cross-generic influence.
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Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy
Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Drama is the first book that examines how ancient Greek tragedy engages with the genre of comedy. While scholars frequently study paratragedy (how Greek comedians satirize tragedy), this book investigates the previously overlooked practice of paracomedy: how Greek tragedians regularly appropriate elements from comedy such as costumes, scenes, language, characters, or plots. Drawing upon a wide variety of complete and fragmentary tragedies and comedies (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Rhinthon), this monograph demonstrates that paracomedy was a prominent feature of Greek tragedy. Blending a variety of interdisciplinary approaches including traditional philology, literary criticism, genre theory, and performance studies, this book offers innovative close readings and incisive interpretations of individual plays. Jendza presents paracomedy as a multivalent authorial strategy: some instances impart a sense of ugliness or discomfort; others provide a sense of light-heartedness or humor. While this work traces the development of paracomedy over several hundred years, it focuses on a handful of Euripidean tragedies at the end of the fifth century BCE. Jendza argues that Euripides was participating in a rivalry with the comedian Aristophanes and often used paracomedy to demonstrate the poetic supremacy of tragedy; indeed, some of Euripides' most complex uses of paracomedy attempt to re-appropriate Aristophanes' mockery of his theatrical techniques. Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy theorizes a new, ground-breaking relationship between Greek tragedy and comedy that not only redefines our understanding of the genre of tragedy, but also reveals a dynamic theatrical world filled with mutual cross-generic influence.
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Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy

Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy

by Craig Jendza
Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy
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Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy

Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy

by Craig Jendza

Overview

Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Drama is the first book that examines how ancient Greek tragedy engages with the genre of comedy. While scholars frequently study paratragedy (how Greek comedians satirize tragedy), this book investigates the previously overlooked practice of paracomedy: how Greek tragedians regularly appropriate elements from comedy such as costumes, scenes, language, characters, or plots. Drawing upon a wide variety of complete and fragmentary tragedies and comedies (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Rhinthon), this monograph demonstrates that paracomedy was a prominent feature of Greek tragedy. Blending a variety of interdisciplinary approaches including traditional philology, literary criticism, genre theory, and performance studies, this book offers innovative close readings and incisive interpretations of individual plays. Jendza presents paracomedy as a multivalent authorial strategy: some instances impart a sense of ugliness or discomfort; others provide a sense of light-heartedness or humor. While this work traces the development of paracomedy over several hundred years, it focuses on a handful of Euripidean tragedies at the end of the fifth century BCE. Jendza argues that Euripides was participating in a rivalry with the comedian Aristophanes and often used paracomedy to demonstrate the poetic supremacy of tragedy; indeed, some of Euripides' most complex uses of paracomedy attempt to re-appropriate Aristophanes' mockery of his theatrical techniques. Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy theorizes a new, ground-breaking relationship between Greek tragedy and comedy that not only redefines our understanding of the genre of tragedy, but also reveals a dynamic theatrical world filled with mutual cross-generic influence.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780190090951
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication date: 04/07/2020
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 240
File size: 1 MB

About the Author

Craig Jendza is an Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Kansas. His research and teaching cover a wide variety of topics, including Greek drama, mythology, magic, linguistics, humor and horror.

Table of Contents

Preface Note to the Reader Introduction Chapter 1: Understanding Paracomedy 1.1 The Question of Methodology 1.2 The Question of Motivation 1.3 The Question of Distribution Chapter 2: Early Paracomedy 2.1 Aeschylus' Oresteia and Old Comedy 2.2 The Paracomic Heracles in Euripides' Alcestis 2.3 The Paracomic Heracles in Euripides' Heracles 2.4 Conclusion Chapter 3: From Rags to Drag: Paracomic Costuming 3.1 Dressing in Rags: Aristophanes' Acharnians and his Critique of Euripides 3.2 Dressing in Rags: Euripides' Helen and the Re-appropriation of Acharnians 3.3 Dressing in Drag: Aristophanes' Women at the Thesmophoria and his Critique of Euripides 3.4 Dressing in Drag: Euripides' Bacchae and the Re-appropriation of Women at the Thesmophoria 3.5 Conclusion Chapter 4: Paracomedy and the Structure of Euripides' Helen 4.1 The Structure of Helen 4.2 Phase 1: "Helen", A Play with a Tragic Character (1-385) 4.3 Phase 2: "Menelaus", A Play with a Comic Character (386-527) 4.4 Phase 3: "Helen" vs. "Menelaus", Tragedy vs. Comedy (527-1106) 4.5 Phase 4: "Helen" Victorious (1107-1692) 4.6 Conclusion Chapter 5: Euripides' Orestes: A Paracomic Play 5.1 The Parodos of Orestes and the Parodos of Peace 5.2 Orestes and Women at the Thesmophoria's Parody of Helen 5.3 Orestes and Women at the Thesmophoria's Parody of Palamedes 5.4 Orestes and Women at the Thesmophoria's Parody of Andromeda 5.5 Orestes and Women at the Thesmophoria's Parody of Telephus 5.6 The Conclusion of Orestes and the Conclusion of Clouds 5.7 Conclusion Chapter 6: Paracomedy and Relative Chronology 6.1 Paracomedy or Paratragedy? 6.2 Euripides' Antiope and Aristophanes' Women at the Thesmophoria 6.3 Conclusion Chapter 7: The Aftermath of Paracomedy 7.1 Rhesus and the Imitation of Paracomedy 7.2 Rhinthon's Hilarotragedies 7.3 Pollux's Tragic Parabases Conclusion Bibliography Index Locorum General Index
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Related Subjects

Literature
Drama
General & Miscellaneous Drama
Ancient, Classical and Medieval * Drama
Literature
Drama
General & Miscellaneous Drama
Ancient, Classical and Medieval * Drama

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