euripides and the poetics of nostalgia PDF
Preview euripides and the poetics of nostalgia
P1:JZZ 0521858739pre CUFX011B/Meltzer 0521858739 August20,2006 11:34 This page intentionally left blank ii P1:JZZ 0521858739pre CUFX011B/Meltzer 0521858739 August20,2006 11:34 euripides and the poetics of nostalgia Branded by critics from Aristophanes to Nietzsche as sophistic, icono- clastic, and sensationalistic, Euripides has long been held responsible for thedemiseofGreektragedy.Despitethisreputation,hisdramahasafun- damentally conservative character. It conveys nostalgia for an idealized age that still respected the gods and traditional codes of conduct. Using deconstructionist and feminist theory, this book investigates the theme of the lost voice of truth and justice in four Euripidean tragedies. The plays’unstablemixoflongingforatranscendentvoiceoftruthandskep- ticism not only epitomizes the discursive practice of Euripides’ era but also speaks to our postmodern condition. The book sheds new light on thesourceoftheplaywright’stragicpowerandenduringappeal,revealing thesurprisingrelevanceofhisworksforourownday. Gary S. Meltzer was Assistant Professor of Classics and Humanities at George Washington University and Associate Professor of Classics at Eckerd College, where he held an endowed chair. Currently teaching humanities at Villanova University, he has contributed to Classical Anti- quity,TransactionsoftheAmericanPhilologicalAssociation,Helios,Classicaland ModernLiterature,andTextandPresentation. i P1:JZZ 0521858739pre CUFX011B/Meltzer 0521858739 August20,2006 11:34 ii P1:JZZ 0521858739pre CUFX011B/Meltzer 0521858739 August20,2006 11:34 EURIPIDES AND THE POETICS OF NOSTALGIA GARY S. MELTZER iii cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb22ru,UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521858731 ©GaryS.Meltzer2006 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexceptionandtotheprovisionof relevantcollectivelicensingagreements,noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplace withoutthewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublishedinprintformat 2006 isbn-13 978-0-511-24948-8eBook(EBL) isbn-10 0-511-24948-9 eBook(EBL) isbn-13 978-0-521-85873-1hardback isbn-10 0-521-85873-9 hardback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofurls forexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,anddoesnot guaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate. P1:JZZ 0521858739pre CUFX011B/Meltzer 0521858739 August20,2006 11:34 T o mybeloved Jill, Emily, and Rebecca v P1:JZZ 0521858739pre CUFX011B/Meltzer 0521858739 August20,2006 11:34 vi P1:JZZ 0521858739pre CUFX011B/Meltzer 0521858739 August20,2006 11:34 CONTENTS Acknowledgments page ix NoteontheUseofGreek xi Introduction 1 1. The “Just Voice” and “Word of Truth”: Divine Revelation or Mythopoetic Construct? 33 2. The “Just Voice” as Paradigmatic Metaphor in the Hippolytus 71 3. The Body’s Cry for Justice in the Hecuba 104 4. The Voice of Apollo and the “Empire of Signs” in the Ion 146 5. Where Is the Glory of Troy? Heroic Fame in the Helen 188 Epilogue 223 WorksCited 229 GeneralIndex 241 GreekCitationIndex 256 EnglishCitationIndex 260 vii P1:JZZ 0521858739pre CUFX011B/Meltzer 0521858739 August20,2006 11:34 viii
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