Athenian Comedy In The Roman Empire

The first expansive treatment of the reception of Athenian comedy in the Roman Empire. Athenian comedy is firmly entrenched in the classical canon, but imperial authors debated, dissected and redirected comic texts, plots and language in ways that reflect the non-Athenocentric, pan-Mediterranean performance culture of the Imperial Era. Although the reception of tragedy beyond its own contemporary era has been carefully studied, the legacy of Athenian comedy in the Roman world is less well understood. This volume explores the importance of Greek comedy during the centuries in which the Roman Empire slowly moved out of the classical era and into the early Byzantine period. A network of engaged and engaging studies examines the lasting impact of classical Athenian comic drama. This includes Lucian of Samosata and other authors of prose fiction in Greek, but also Roman literature, the wider context of performance, and material culture. Demonstrating a variety of methodologies and scholarly perspectives, sources discussed include papyri, mosaics, stage history, epigraphy and a broad range of literature such as dramatic works, prose, poetry and epistolary fiction.

• • Author: C. W. Marshall, Tom Hawkins
• • Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• • Publication Date: Nov 19, 2015
• • Number of Pages: 304 pages
• • Language: English
• • Binding: Hardcover
• • ISBN-10: 1472588843
• • ISBN-13: 9781472588845