Although many commentators have dealt with various aspects of
structure in Sophoclean drama, G. M. Kirkwood contends that
"Sophocles' mastery of dramatic form is accepted with casual and
superficial deference rather than fully and clearly understood."
This book shows how Sophocles' method of presenting character, his
unique handling of myth, his predilection for presenting ideas by
comparison and contrast, and his principles of structure are so
closely related that they serve to clarify each other.
In an analysis of the form of Sophocles' seven extant plays,
Kirkwood demonstrates the existence of several deliberate and
distinct types of dramatic construction. Sophocles' use of the
chorus, his irony, and certain aspects of diction are considered as
a part of his dramatic art and as elements of structure. Kirkwood
discusses a number of traditional problems, among them questions of
consistency and meaning in passages from Ajax, Antigone, and
Electra. He also considers the problem of "diptych" structure, and
shows that it is a definite dramatic shape, of primary importance
in understanding the three plays in which it appears.
Distinctive Sophoclean concepts in which the words eugenes and
daimon are conspicuous, the meaning of tragedy in relation to
Sophocles' plays, and Sophocles' outlook on deity and on man and
his fate are also subjects of illuminating discussions. This book
offers ample evidence to support Kirkwood's contention that, "Only
when we inquire into the means by which Sophocles invests his plays
with their constant air not only of relevance but of immediacy do
we begin to understand Sophoclean form."
For the paperback edition of this classic study of Sophoclean
poetics, the author has written a new preface that assesses the
reception of his work and has updated the bibliography to include
more recent scholarship.
General
Imprint: |
Cornell University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Cornell Studies in Classical Philology |
Release date: |
November 1994 |
First published: |
November 1994 |
Authors: |
G.M. Kirkwood
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 19mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
328 |
Edition: |
Reprinted edition |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8014-8241-0 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-8014-8241-0 |
Barcode: |
9780801482410 |
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