Tragedy in Athens by David Wiles
This book examines the performance of Greek tragedy in the classical Athenian theatre. Whilst post structuralist criticism of Greek tragedy has tended to focus on the literary text, the analysis of stagecraft and the theatre has been markedly conservative in its methodology. David Wiles corrects that balance, exploring the performance of tragedy as a spatial practice specific to Athenian culture, at once religious and political. Athenian conceptions of space were quite unlike those of the modern world. After reviewing controversies and archaeological data regarding the fifth-century performance space, Wiles turns to the chorus and shows how dance mapped out the space for the purposes of any given play. The book shows how the performance as a whole was organised and, through informative diagrams and accessible analyses, Wiles brings the theatre of Greek tragedy to life.
'David Wiles's enquiries are securely based on past and current scholarly research, towards which the reader is directed by full and judicious footnotesThis is a study which deserves a prominent place on reading lists for all students interested in drama and theatre.' New Theatre Quarterly
'In this volume David Wiles, who has written with equal assurance about Elizabethan performance and ancient comedy, turns his attention to Greek or, as most modern critics would now define it, Athenian tragedy. Those who enjoy the originality, and sometimes the audacity, of his ideas, will not be disappointed here. No-one with a serious interest in the application of performance theory to historical texts can afford to ignore this book which is multidisciplinary in its approach, packed with ideas and re-readings, sometimes provocative beyond the call of duty but never dull.' Michael Anderson, Theatre Research International
'The book draws examples from all the extant tragedies, and some fragments, often with bold insight. Well over a dozen neat, tidy explanations appeared that I have filed away to share in the classroom.' Didaskalos
'… genuinely original treatment … every page demonstrates that new and important things can still be said about the tragic playwrights of 5th-century Athens'. The Anglo-Hellenic Review
'In this volume David Wiles, who has written with equal assurance about Elizabethan performance and ancient comedy, turns his attention to Greek or, as most modern critics would now define it, Athenian tragedy. Those who enjoy the originality, and sometimes the audacity, of his ideas, will not be disappointed here. No-one with a serious interest in the application of performance theory to historical texts can afford to ignore this book which is multidisciplinary in its approach, packed with ideas and re-readings, sometimes provocative beyond the call of duty but never dull.' Michael Anderson, Theatre Research International
'The book draws examples from all the extant tragedies, and some fragments, often with bold insight. Well over a dozen neat, tidy explanations appeared that I have filed away to share in the classroom.' Didaskalos
'… genuinely original treatment … every page demonstrates that new and important things can still be said about the tragic playwrights of 5th-century Athens'. The Anglo-Hellenic Review
Wiles, David: - David Wiles is Professor of Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London. He has published extensively in the fields of classical and Elizabethan theatre, and his Short History of Western Performance Space was published by Cambridge University Press in 2003. This is his ninth book, and previous books have been shortlisted for the Criticos, Society for Theatre Research and Runciman prizes. He was a contributor to the Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre (1995) and is currently, with Christine Dymkowski, editing The Cambridge Companion to Theatre History. The focus of his teaching and research has always been the relation of theatre to society, particularly in respect of festival, and the present book builds on the breadth of his intellectual interests. Its genesis lies in a keynote lecture which he was invited to give to the International Federation for Theatre Research at the University of Maryland in 2005.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780521666152 |
| ISBN 10 | 0521666155 |
| Title | Tragedy in Athens |
| Author | David Wiles |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Year published | 1999-08-19 |
| Number of pages | 244 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |