Aristophanes: An Author for the Stage

Kenneth Dover, The Classical Review
"A lively and thoughtful book; no comparable study of Aristophanes' dramatic technique is available in English."


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Carlo Ferdinando Russo's classic work on Aristophanes examines his comedies as plays intended for the stage. The author considers the invention of printing as a cause of major changes in the nature of drama. The modern reader of Aristophanes is inclined to see him as an author of texts, rather than of fluid libretti which were intended to be performed, not simply read. Russo finds that deviations in the text can often be explained by their relevance to the specific theatrical competitions they were written for. In Aristophanes, an Author for the Stage, the in-depth philological analysis of the plays is founded on an ever present perception of the realities of Greek theatre. This work is unparalleled in the study of Aristophanes; its appearance in an English translation is long overdue.


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