Overview
Aristophanes’ comedies have long been read as a response to the political turbulence of 5th-century Athens, particularly during the Peloponnesian War. However, this volume frames him as a ‘political correspondent,’ whose works engage critically with both his time and ours. The contributions to this volume explore the ways in which Aristophanes’ comedy remains vital and disruptive in the present. The essays examine the tension between Aristophanes’ comic exaggerations and their real-world implications, revealing how his humour both reflects and unsettles our current political and social concerns. Through topics like speech, violence, pedagogy, gender and populism, the contributors illustrate how Aristophanes’ plays offer a lens through which to interrogate the fluidity of political and social power – both in ancient Athens and today. In doing so, this volume reflects the provisional nature of comedy itself: a genre built on misdirection, timing and the inevitable instability of its moment. By engaging with Aristophanes in the ‘current moment,’ this collection invites readers to embrace the elusiveness and tension inherent in both comedy and scholarly practice. Far from offering definitive answers, the plays challenge us to question, engage and reflect on our own commitments and complicities.
Full Product Details
Author: Constanze Güthenke (University of Oxford, UK) , Samuel Gartland (University of Oxford, UK)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:
Width: 15.40cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 23.60cm
Weight: 0.500kg
ISBN: 9781350475083
ISBN 10: 1350475084
Pages: 232
Publication Date: 13 November 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Professional & Vocational
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand 
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Table of Contents
List of Contributors 1. Aristophanes’ Current Moments: An Introduction (Sam Gartland, University of Leeds, UK and Constanze Güthenke, University of Oxford, UK) 2. Reading Leo Strauss Reading Aristophanes (Constanze Güthenke, University of Oxford, UK) 3. War, Territory, Sexual Violence, and Citizenship in Aristophanes (Sam Gartland, University of Leeds, UK) 4. The Crook and the Sycophant: Aristophanes, Hate Speech, and Power (Amy Coker, University of Bristol, UK) 5. Freedom of Speech and Moral Panic in Democratic Athens (Isabel Ruffell, University of Glasgow, UK) 6. Ponera orge: the Problem of ‘Anger’ in Aristophanes’ Lysistrata and its Reception (Jon Hesk, University of St Andrews, UK) 7. Aristophanes and the Gendered Politics of Performative Assembly (Carol Atack, University of Cambridge, UK) 8. Batracho-Politics for 2024 (Mario Telò, UC Berkeley, USA) 9. Peace and Shit: Aristophanes as Primer on Copropolitics (Dan-el Padilla Peralta, Princeton University, USA) Notes Bibliography Index
Reviews
The contributors to this bold collection dare to take Aristophanes beyond his moment into theirs to consider the politics of reading (and laughing) with him now, issuing a challenge to us all that dealing with Aristophanes at this moment demands a response beyond the disconcerting glosses of complicitous commentators -- Ashley Clements, Associate Professor in Greek Literature and Philosophy and Head of Department, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Author Information
Constanze Güthenke is Professor of Greek Literature at the University of Oxford, UK. Samuel Gartland is Associate Professor in Ancient Greek History and Culture at the University of Leeds, UK.
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