Philosophy & Comedy: Aristophanes, Logos, and Eros (Studies in Continental Thought)

250 Pages·2008·8.83 MB·English

by  Bernard Freydberg

Philosophy F
r
Classics & Antiquity
e
y
d
b
Reveals comedy’s contributions e
r
g
to the philosophical enterprise
P
h
“[The] real asset of Freydberg’s “[Opens] up Aristophanes’
i
lo Philosophy & Comedy
work is that he has turned us in hilarious and vulgar texts to an
s
o
the right direction to appreciate exploration of their more subtle
p
the philosophy implicit in comedy.” and complex underlying senses.” h
Aristophanes, Logos, and Eros Bernard Freydberg
y
Robert Metcalf, University of Sara Brill, Fairfield University
&
Colorado at Denver
C
o
Aristophanes’ comedies have stood the Bernard Freydberg is Research Professor m
test of time as some of the greatest comic of Philosophy at Koç University, Istanbul,
e
literature ever produced. While there Turkey. He is author of Imagination d
have been numerous commentaries on in Kant’s Critique of Practicals Reason y
Aristophanes and his world, until now (Indiana University Press, 2005).
there has been no systematic philosophical
treatment of his comedies. In Philosophy
and Comedy, Bernard Freydberg illuminates
the philosophical insights in Aristophanes’
texts by presenting close readings of Clouds,
Wasps, Assemblywomen, and Lysistrata,
addressing their comic genius at the StudieS in
same time. Freydberg challenges notions Continental
that philosophy is best served by a tragic
thought
disposition and arrives at a new assessment
of the philosophical importance of comedy. John Sallis, editor
INDIANA Cover illustration: Akiko Kotani,
Pollen in Winter, silk drawing,
University Press
2001. Courtesy of the artist.
Bloomington & Indianapolis
http://iupress.indiana.edu
1-800-842-6796 Indiana
PhiloComMech.indd 1 6/20/08 9:59:44 AM
Philosophy & Comedy
Philosophy
& Comedy
Aristophanes, Logos, and Eros
Bernard Freydberg
Indiana University Press
Bloomington & Indianapolis
Thisbookisapublicationof
IndianaUniversityPress
601NorthMortonStreet
Bloomington,IN47404-3797USA
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Telephoneorders 800-842-6796
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Ordersbye-mail [email protected]
©2008byBernardFreydberg
Allrightsreserved
Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedorutilizedinanyformor
byanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopyingand
recording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,without
permissioninwritingfromthepublisher.TheAssociationofAmerican
UniversityPresses’ResolutiononPermissionsconstitutestheonly
exceptiontothisprohibition.
Thepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsof
AmericanNationalStandardforInformationSciences—Permanenceof
PaperforPrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSIZ39.48-1984.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Freydberg,Bernard,date
Philosophyandcomedy:Aristophanes,logos,anderos/BernardFreydberg.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-253-35106-7(cloth:alk.paper)—ISBN978-0-253-21970-1
(pbk.:alk.paper) 1. Aristophanes—Criticismandinterpretation.2. Greek
drama(Comedy)—Historyandcriticism.3. Mythology,Greek,inliterature.
I.Title.
PA3879.F732008
882’.01—dc22
2007041966
1 2 3 4 5 13 12 11 10 09 08
For Akiko and Malika,
and for the sacred laughter we share
Studies in Continental Thought
JohnSallis,generaleditor
ConsultingEditors
RobertBernasconi WilliamL.McBride
RudolphBernet J.N.Mohanty
JohnD.Caputo MaryRawlinson
DavidCarr TomRockmore
EdwardS.Casey CalvinO.Schrag
HubertDreyfus ReinerSchürmann
DonIhde CharlesE.Scott
DavidFarrellKrell ThomasSheehan
LenoreLangsdorf † RobertSokolowski
AlphonsoLingis BruceW.Wilshire
DavidWood
Contents
 ⁄ 
Introduction:OntheUnderlyingSense
ofAristophanicComedy ⁄ 
Part1.LogosandHumanLimits
1.CloudsandtheMeasuringofLogos ⁄ 
2.WaspsandtheLimitsofLogos ⁄ 
Part2.ErōsandHumanLimits
3.Assemblywomen:ErōsandHumanLaw ⁄ 
4.Lysistrata:ErōsandTranscendence ⁄ 
Conclusion:RidiculeandMeasure ⁄ 
 ⁄ 
 ⁄ 
 ⁄ 

Acknowledgments
The first and abiding event in my philosophical development occurred
whenIliedtomymotheratagesixteen.
Shewasoverprotective,forbiddingmefromplayingvarsityfootballand
permitting me to play basketball only because she thought the game in-
volvednocontact.Iwasnotallowedtotakesummerjobsinneighborhoods
thatcouldbeconceivablyconsideredunsafe.IfsheknewthatIwasn’treally
takingabusandsubwayfromYonkerstoNewYorkCityinordertogoto
theMetropolitanMuseumofArt(ortoanotherhighschoolwithmyteam-
matestoplaybasketball)buttoHarlem’sApolloTheatre,shewouldhave
keeledoveratoncefromapoplexy.However,sheprovedpropheticinone
respect.ShetoldoneandallthatIwassoabsent-mindedIcouldonlybe-
comeaprofessor.
Sotheseedsforthisbookwereplantedinmywell-spentyouthwhenI
wouldsneakoffwithfriendstotheApolloTheatreinHarleminthe1960s,
andmyfirstacknowledgementgoestothoseAfrican-Americancomedians
whotaughtmebothhowjoyousandhowprofoundcomedycouldbe.The
first such artist I ever witnessed was the great ventriloquist Willie Tyler
(whostillworks),whoprovidedtheopeningactonaJamesBrownshow.I
wasalsofortunateenoughtobepresentforperformancesbyMomsMab-
ley,PigmeatMarkham,ReddFoxx,GodfreyCambridge,andDickGregory
(whoalsocametomyhighschool).Thesecomediansoftenaddressedthem-
selves to political subjects with great insight and creativity. Sadly, while
muchcomedyinthisveinistime-boundandgrowsobsolete,manyofthe
samesocialillspertainingtoracethatthesecomediansaddressedstillper-
sist.Ihopethattheyheal.However,evenafteramostthoroughhealing,the
work of these comedians will remain fresh. For their work addresses the
fundamentalconcernsofourhumancondition.
Human wisdom, human folly, truth, lie, reason, custom, education,
justice,beauty,age,gender,marriage,friendship,hatred,war,peace,good
speech, rhetoric, demagoguery, statesmanship, sex—and love and death