Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Drama is the first book that examines how ancient Greek tragedy engages with the genre of comedy. While scholars frequently study paratragedy (how Greek comedians satirize tragedy), this book investigates the previously overlooked practice of paracomedy: how Greek tragedians regularly appropriate elements from comedy such as costumes, scenes, language, characters, or plots. Drawing upon a wide variety of complete and fragmentary tragedies and comedies (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Rhinthon), this monograph demonstrates that paracomedy was a prominent feature of Greek tragedy. Blending a variety of interdisciplinary approaches including traditional philology, literary criticism, genre theory, and performance studies, this book offers innovative close readings and incisive interpretations of individual plays. Jendza presents paracomedy as a multivalent authorial strategy: some instances impart a sense of ugliness or discomfort; others provide a sense of light-heartedness or humor. While this work traces the development of paracomedy over several hundred years, it focuses on a handful of Euripidean tragedies at the end of the fifth century BCE. Jendza argues that Euripides was participating in a rivalry with the comedian Aristophanes and often used paracomedy to demonstrate the poetic supremacy of tragedy; indeed, some of Euripides' most complex uses of paracomedy attempt to re-appropriate Aristophanes' mockery of his theatrical techniques. Paracomedy: Appropriations of Comedy in Greek Tragedy theorizes a new, ground-breaking relationship between Greek tragedy and comedy that not only redefines our understanding of the genre of tragedy, but also reveals a dynamic theatrical world filled with mutual cross-generic influence.

About the Author
Craig Jendza is an Assistant Professor of Classics at the University of Kansas. His research and teaching cover a wide variety of topics, including Greek drama, mythology, magic, linguistics, humor and horror.

Reviews
I found J.'s work stimulating to think with, providing refreshed perspectives on familiar plays and much room for debate... this monograph is a real step forward for exploring intergeneric interactions and the ongoing process of stimulus and response that shaped the development of both comic and tragic drama. * Sarah Miles, Classical Review *
Recommended. * G.D. Bird, Gordon College (MA), CHOICE *
It is hard to overstate the importance of Paracomedy for the study of Greek drama and especially its intergeneric relationships. Jendza has provided the field with a well-argued and intelligent re-assessment of tragic possibilities, which has filled a gaping hole in contemporary scholarship and which will no doubt inspire further studies of tragedy's engagement with comedy and satyr play. * Amy Lewis, Gustavus Adolphus College, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190090937
Author Craig Jendza
Format Hardback
Page Count 360
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 680g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 236mm * 31mm