Comedy and Religion in Classical Athens

Comedy and Religion in Classical Athens by Francisco Barrenechea

This book opens up a new perspective on Aristophanic drama and its relationship to Greek religion. It focuses on the comedy Wealth, whose fantasy of universal enrichment is structured upon a rich and largely unexplored framework of traditional stories of Greek religious experiences, such as oracles, miracle cures, and the introduction of new gods. The book examines the form and function of these stories, and explores how the playwright adapts them for his own comic purposes, grounding his comic fantasy on stories of philanthropic divinities who dependably respond to the needs of their worshippers. The collaboration of these deities, who act in tandem with their worshippers, achieves the comic fantasy. Francisco Barrenechea also addresses the larger question of how comedy participated in the religion of its time by imagining and dramatizing beliefs, and reveals the salutary bond that can exist between humor and religion in general.

'Barrenechea's book will make you change your mindBarrenechea has chosen as a touchstone of his deep analysis the relationship between comedy and religion, scrutinized through three significant elements of the story, namely divination, incubation, and epiphany.' Simone Beta, Religious Studies Review

Francisco Barrenechea is Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Maryland, College Park. His research interests include ancient Greek drama, as well as its reception in the Hispanic world. Among his publications are articles on stories of Greek miracle cures, the reception of Greek tragedy in Mexico, fragmentary plays, and Latin epic. He has been the recipient of fellowships from the Center for Hellenic Studies and the Loeb Classical Library Foundation.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781107191167
ISBN 10	1107191165
Title	Comedy and Religion in Classical Athens
Author	Francisco Barrenechea
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	2018-08-02
Number of pages	212
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.