Tales from the Greek Drama - Softcover

H. R. Jolliffe

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0865160139 ISBN 13: 9780865160132

Publisher: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 1984

Synopsis

Tales from the Greek Drama provides an excellent introduction to ten of the best known works of Greek drama. The book includes compelling renditions of Medea, Alcestis, Oedipus the King, Iphigenia at Aulis, Oedipus at Colonus, Agamemnon, Antigone, Electra, and Hippolytus

Combining the scholar's knowledge of Greek drama and the journalist's talent for dramatic accounts, Jolliffe's retelling of the monumental Greek tragedies allows the general reader to experience the theatrical, emotional and literary impact of some of the ancient world's finest playwrights: Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles. Designed to provide an encounter with, rather than a study of Greek drama, this prose presentation removes the impediments of unfamiliar grammar and syntax, context and genre. The result is a whetting of the appetite and the building of a firm foundation for a more sophisticated later reading of these works. Tales from the Greek Drama has been translated into Japanese and is currently in its 2nd printing in Japan.

Special Features

* a brief introduction focusing on the literary context
* 10 plays in a dramatic, comprehensible prose format: Medea, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone, Hippolytus, Alcestis, Ajax, Iphigenia in Aulis, Agamemnon, and Electra
* an appendix on the theater of the Greeks

Also available:

Bakkhai - ISBN 0865162859
Iphigenia at Aulis and Iphigenia in Tauris - ISBN 0865162662

For over 30 years Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers has produced the highest quality Latin and ancient Greek books. From Dr. Seuss books in Latin to Plato's Apology, Bolchazy-Carducci's titles help readers learn about ancient Rome and Greece; the Latin and ancient Greek languages are alive and well with titles like Cicero's De Amicitia and Kaegi's Greek Grammar. We also feature a line of contemporary eastern European and WWII books.

Some of the areas we publish in include:

Selections From The Aeneid
Latin Grammar & Pronunciation
Greek Grammar & Pronunciation
Texts Supporting Wheelock's Latin
Classical author workbooks: Vergil, Ovid, Horace, Catullus, Cicero
Vocabulary Cards For AP Selections: Vergil, Ovid, Catullus, Horace
Greek Mythology
Greek Lexicon
Slovak Culture And History

About this title

From the Publisher:

This reprint of the 1962 edition is an excellent and accessible introduction to the genre. Tales from the Greek Drama provides: - a brief introduction focusing on the literary context - 10 plays in a dramatic, comprehensible prose format: Medea, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone, Hippolytus, Alcestis, Ajax, Iphigenia in Aulis, Agamemnon, and Electra - an appendix on the theater of the Greeks

From the Author:

"Most people approach Greek drama through its many translations - most of which add some 'stage directions' to compensate for the missing action. Unfortunately, such readers are sometimes frustrated by trying to view things through a stained-glass window of many obscure allusions. I have tried to solve this problem and bring to my readers more of the instant impact of a modern play or novel. For that was what these plays had 2,400 years ago - immediate impact. Greek audiences did not have to consult handbooks or footnotes or solve literary mysteries. They came, they saw, and they reacted to the play as it unfolded before them.

To illustrate part of the problem I might cite an example in reverse. The satirist Bob Newhart has an amusing sketch in which he plays a public relations man telephoning President Lincoln about what to say at Gettysburg. Why do we laugh? Only because we can put into the pot of total comprehension our own knowledge of Lincoln, the Address, and the foibles of Madison Avenue. Otherwise the sketch would be meaningless. A more sombre illustration might be a scene in an old movie where a couple stand by a steamer rail in the moonlight. As they move away, a life-preserver is revealed marked "S.S. Titanic." From the Author's Preface.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers
• Publication date: 1984
• ISBN 10: 0865160139
• ISBN 13: 9780865160132
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 311