LEADER 03852nam 2200721 a 450 001 9910455019703321 005 20200520144314.0 010 $a1-282-35658-5 010 $a9786612356582 010 $a0-520-92793-1 010 $a1-59734-916-X 024 7 $a10.1525/9780520927933 035 $a(CKB)111056485642038 035 $a(EBL)223186 035 $a(OCoLC)475927239 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000250417 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11176338 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000250417 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10231342 035 $a(PQKB)11513948 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC223186 035 $a(OCoLC)50639533 035 $a(MdBmJHUP)muse31093 035 $a(DE-B1597)520613 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780520927933 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL223186 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10051540 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL235658 035 $a(EXLCZ)99111056485642038 100 $a20010814d2002 ub 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aStaged narrative$b[electronic resource] $epoetics and the messenger in Greek tragedy /$fJames Barrett 210 $aBerkeley $cUniversity of California Press$dc2002 215 $a1 online resource (277 p.) 225 1 $aThe Joan Palevsky imprint in classical literature 300 $aDescription based upon print version of record. 311 $a0-520-23180-5 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 225-238) and index. 327 $aIntroduction -- Aeschylus' Persians: the messenger and epic narrative -- The literary messenger, the tragic messenger -- Euripides' Bacchae: the spectator in the text -- Homer and the art of fiction in Sophocles' Electra -- Rhesos and poetic tradition. 330 $aThe messenger who reports important action that has occurred offstage is a familiar inhabitant of Greek tragedy. A messenger informs us about the death of Jocasta and the blinding of Oedipus, the madness of Heracles, the slaughter of Aigisthos, and the death of Hippolytus, among other important events. Despite its prevalence, this conventional figure remains only little understood. Combining several critical approaches-narrative theory, genre study, and rhetorical analysis-this lucid study develops a synthetic view of the messenger of Greek tragedy, showing how this role illuminates some of the genre's most persistent concerns, especially those relating to language, knowledge, and the workings of tragic theater itself. James Barrett gives close readings of several plays including Aeschylus's Persians, Sophocles' Electra and Oedipus Tyrannus, and Euripides' Bacchae and Rhesos. He traces the literary ancestry of the tragic messenger, showing that the messenger's narrative constitutes an unexplored site of engagement with Homeric epic, and that the role illuminates fifth-century b.c. experimentation with modes of speech. Breaking new ground in the study of Athenian tragedy, Barrett deepens our understanding of many central texts and of a form of theater that highlights the fragility and limits of human knowledge, a theme explored by its use of the messenger. 410 0$aJoan Palevsky imprint in classical literature. 606 $aGreek drama (Tragedy)$xHistory and criticism 606 $aMessengers in literature 606 $aNarration (Rhetoric) 606 $aRhetoric, Ancient 608 $aElectronic books. 615 0$aGreek drama (Tragedy)$xHistory and criticism. 615 0$aMessengers in literature. 615 0$aNarration (Rhetoric) 615 0$aRhetoric, Ancient. 676 $a882/.0109352 700 $aBarrett$b James$f1953-$01037582 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910455019703321 996 $aStaged narrative$92458642 997 $aUNINA