Aristophanes and the Current Moment: The Politics of Comedy

(Hardback)

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Fifth-century Athens witnessed an extended moment of political and social turmoil, especially with the long Peloponnesian War, and Aristophanes has long been read as a respondent to this historical context. However, this volume turns away from this standard reading of Aristophanes comedies, and takes the reader beyond the limits set by traditional historicizing readings. Instead, the contributors innovatively examine the plays from the view of what politicized readings with Aristophanes might yield. This approach is what is referred to as the current moment, which sees Aristophanes as a 'political correspondent rather than a 'political respondent.

Each chapter presents a wide range of different perspectives, such as readings of Aristophanes as a political interventionist, the politics of reading him now with modern students and the dialogues in which he might be read with modern authors, such as Levi Strauss. As such, this study shows how Aristophanes comedies are inseparable from our own thoughts and practices as historians, scholars and civic entities. As a result, this volume offers the reader innovative interpretations and self-reflexive dialogues regarding the resonances of Aristophanes plays and the challenges of contemporary scholarly practice.

Reviews

The contributors to this bold collection dare to take Aristophanes beyond his moment into theirs to consider the politics of reading (and laughing) with him now, issuing a challenge to us all that dealing with Aristophanes at this moment demands a response beyond the disconcerting glosses of complicitous commentators -- Ashley Clements, Associate Professor in Greek Literature and Philosophy and Head of Department, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Author Bio

Constanze Gthenke is Professor of Greek Literature at the University of Oxford, UK.

Sam Gartland is Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Leeds, UK, and Research Associate in Ancient History at the University of Oxford, UK.