Aristophanes: Clouds, Women at the Thesmophoria, Frogs: A Verse Translation, with Introduction and Notes - Hardcover

Halliwell, Stephen

3.72

18 ratings by Goodreads

9780198149941: Aristophanes: Clouds, Women at the Thesmophoria, Frogs: A Verse Translation, with Introduction and Notes

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198149948 ISBN 13: 9780198149941

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2016

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Aristophanes is the only surviving representative of Greek Old Comedy, an exuberant form of festival drama which flourished in Athens during the fifth century BC. One of the most original playwrights in the entire Western tradition, his comedies are remarkable for their brilliant combination of fantasy and satire, their constantly inventive manipulation of language, and their use of absurd characters and plots to expose his society's institutions and values to the bracing challenge of laughter.

This vibrant collection of verse translations of Aristophanes' works combines historical accuracy with a sensitive attempt to capture the rich dramatic and literary qualities of Aristophanic comedy. The volume presents Clouds, with its famous caricature of the philosopher Socrates; Women at the Thesmophoria (or Thesmophoriazusae), a work which mixes elaborate parody of tragedy with a great deal of transvestite burlesque; and Frogs, in which the dead tragedians Aeschylus and Euripides engage in a vituperative contest of 'literary criticism' of each other's plays. Featuring expansive introductions to each play and detailed explanatory notes, the volume also includes an illuminating appendix, which provides information and selected fragments from the lost plays of Aristophanes.

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About the Author:

Stephen Halliwell, Professor of Greek, University of St. Andrews

Stephen Halliwell is Professor of Greek and Wardlaw Professor of Classics at the University of St Andrews. He has taught in the universities of Oxford, London, Cambridge, and Birmingham, and held visiting professorships in Belgium, Canada, Italy, and the USA. His extensive publications on Greek literature, philosophy, and culture include two prize-winning books: Greek Laughter: A Study of Cultural Psychology from Homer to Early Christianity (Criticos Prize 2008), and The Aesthetics of Mimesis: Ancient Texts and Modern Problems (Premio Europeo d'Estetica, 2008). His book Between Ecstasy and Truth: Interpretations of Greek Poetics from Homer to Longinus was published by Oxford University Press in 2011. He is a Fellow of both the British Academy and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Review:

"The accurate and lively translations will serve well anyone wishing to study these comedies, and Halliwell's informative general introduction, stimulating introductions to individual plays, rich explanatory notes, and ample references are an excellent guide to the world of both Aristophanic and ancient Greek comedy ... Halliwell pairs his fluency in rendering verse with deftness at capturing the complexities of Aristophanes' language, which gives his translations particular verve." --Matthew C. Wellenbach, Classical Journal Online

"The translations are once again (to quote my review of the 1997 volume) 'accurate enough to be usable for any academic or educational purpose for which the use of translations is acceptable at all,' and the introductions to individual plays provide in general an excellent orientation." --Bryn Mawr Classical Review

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