Title: Λάβε τὸ βυβλίον: Orality and Literacy in Aristophanes
Abstract:Various contests among characters in Aristophanes plays illustrate the tension between oral and written forms of communication in contemporary Athens, as well as the implications of such tension for p...Various contests among characters in Aristophanes plays illustrate the tension between oral and written forms of communication in contemporary Athens, as well as the implications of such tension for producers of knowledge and ideas in both the oral and literate modes. In Birds , for example, every instance of literacy is exposed as fraudulent or bothersome. In Frogs , the poet weighs the claims of the oral and literate modes. Each has its place, and there is no doubt of popular distrust of those who claim the ability to read longer texts, but the literate mode seems to assure the survival of the poet's works. While the oral modes in the action of the play establish the canon of three Athenian tragedians, the literate mode insures that the establishment of the canon will outlive its author, in this case, and above all, Aristophanes. Keywords: Aristophanes; Birds ; FrogsRead More
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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