Literary Criticism Ancient & Classical
Comic Business
Theatricality, Dramatic Technique, and Performance Contexts of Aristophanic Comedy
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Initial publish date
- May 2006
- Category
- Ancient & Classical
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780198152712
- Publish Date
- May 2006
- List Price
- $155.00
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Description
Comic Business situates Aristophanic comedy in the context of competitive (re)performance culture in 5th- and 4th-century Greece. It seeks to illuminate how the dazzling busyness of Aristophanic comedy is the creation of a carefully manipulating craftsman trying to outdo his rivals in the fierce competition of the dramatic festivals. Theoretically informed by theatre semiotics and frame-based models of conceptualizing the theatrical event, it analyses in a number of case studies how theatrical resources of all kinds are utilized in order to generate theatrical meaning as well as capture and sustain audience interest. The approach therefore combines philological analysis with methodologies developed in Theatre Studies. Special attention is given to the visual dimension of theatrical communication. Material from comparator traditions is brought to bear, as is the evidence of the pictorial record.
About the author
Contributor Notes
Martin Revermann is Assistant Professor in Classics and Theatre Studies, University of Toronto.
