The Origin of Attic Comedy (Classic Reprint)

Francis Macdonald Cornford

ISBN 10: 0266195024 / ISBN 13: 9780266195023

Published by Forgotten Books, 2018

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Origin of Attic Comedy (Classic Reprint)
• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0266195024
• ISBN 13: 9780266195023
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

How Aristophanic Comedy grew from ritual and folk drama.

This study explains the unique structure of Attic comedy and what it reveals about ancient performance and society.

The author argues that the key features of Aristophanes’ plays, such as the Agon and Parabasis, fit a recurring three-part pattern of ritual action. By comparing plays and their lyric moments, the book shows how a folk-drama with a fixed sequence could become a sophisticated comic form rooted in Attic life. The aim is to illuminate both the form and the origins of Greek comedy for readers of drama and classics.

• A clear account of major dramatic devices like the Agon, Parabasis, and the chorus’s twofold structure
• A ritual-based theory connecting Old Comedy to broader seasonal and communal rituals
• Close analysis of how form shapes meaning in Aristophanes’ works
• Accessible discussion suitable for students and general readers of theatre history

Ideal for readers of classical drama, theatre history, and Greek literature who want a coherent view of how Attic comedy developed from ritual roots.