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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Pre-Christian European & Mediterranean religions > Ancient Greek religion
Applying the latest narratological theory and focusing on the use
of anachrony (or 'chronological deviation'), this book explores how
Statius competes - successfully - for a place within an established
literary canon. Given the tremendous pressure on poets to render
familiar stories in unfamiliar and novel ways, how did he achieve
this? When Statius elected to sing of the quarrelsome sons of
Oedipus he was acutely aware that this was a well-trod road, one
frequently reproduced in a variety of genres - epic, drama and
lyric poetry. Despite this highly varied corpus against which he
sought to contend, he boasts that his epic has novelty and proudly
declares that he is now counted among the 'prisca nomina', or
ancient names, that sang of Thebes. And indeed precisely the fact
that there were so many story-versions (a greater number survive
for comparison than for any other work from antiquity, rivaling
even the popularity of the Trojan legend) means that the story is
conveniently positioned to offer a unique exploration into how
Statius creates a compelling story despite working within a
saturated and overly familiar mythic tradition. This book argues
that it is chiefly through the use of narrative anachrony, or
non-chronological modes of narration, that Statius manipulates
states of anticipation, suspense, and even surprise in his
audience.
![Country (Paperback): Michael Hughes](//media.loot.co.za/images/x80/572677044033179215.jpg) |
Country
(Paperback)
Michael Hughes
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'Reading this book is like sitting in the pub listening to a good
friend tell you stories. It does what only the best retellings can
and makes you see the myth anew' Daisy Johnson That was the start
of it. A terrible business altogether. Oh, it was all kept off the
news, for the sake of the talks and the ceasefire. But them that
were around that part of the country remember every bit. Wait now
till you hear the rest. Northern Ireland, 1996. After twenty-five
years of conflict, the IRA and the British have agreed an uneasy
ceasefire, as a first step towards lasting peace. But if decades of
savage violence are leading only to smiles and handshakes, those on
the ground in the border country will start to question what
exactly they have been fighting for. When an IRA man's wife turns
informer, he and his brother gather their old comrades for an
assault on the local army base. But the squad's feared sniper
suddenly refuses to fight, and the SAS are sent in to crush this
rogue terror cell before it can wreck the fragile truce, and drag
the whole region back to the darkest days of the Troubles. Inspired
by the oldest war story of them all, this powerful new Irish novel
explores the brutal glory of armed conflict, and the bitter tragedy
of those on both sides who offer their lives to defend the honour
of their country.
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