Overview

Aristophanes' Wasps was produced in Athens in 422 BCE. Like other Aristophanic comedies, it is a satire on Athenian society and democratic institutions, in this case focusing on the legal system and its supposed manipulation for personal ends by corrupt democratic leaders.This critical edition of the play includes the full Greek text, detailed commentary notes, and an extensive introduction. It represents a thorough re-evaluation of the play, providing a wealth of insights and advances in our understanding of the work and related topics since the last full scholarly commentary by Douglas M. MacDowell in 1971. The text depends on a complete, independent collation of the manuscripts and contains numerous new choices of readings and emendations. The introduction guides readers around fundamental information; not just on Aristophanes' life, but on poetic and political interpretations of the play, matters of staging, and the manuscript tradition. The extensive commentary aims to equip readers of all levels with the information they will need to appreciate the play in its original performance context, and to evaluate it as both an historical document and an artistic creation. This new critical edition will be a starting point for all further research on Wasps, and will serve readers and scholars for decades to come.

Full Product Details

9780199699407

Table of Contents

Reviews

will now certainly be the standard turn-to volume on the play's language * Simon Goldhill, Times Literary Supplement * This is a substantial contribution to Aristophanic comedy and will undoubtedly be the springboard for future scholarly work on the play for many years to come. * Alan Beale, Classics for All *

This is a substantial contribution to Aristophanic comedy and will undoubtedly be the springboard for future scholarly work on the play for many years to come. Alan Beale, Classics for All

will now certainly be the standard turn-to volume on the play's language Simon Goldhill, Times Literary Supplement This is a substantial contribution to Aristophanic comedy and will undoubtedly be the springboard for future scholarly work on the play for many years to come. Alan Beale, Classics for All

Author Information

Zachary P. Biles is an Associate Professor in the Department of Classics at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. S. Douglas Olson is Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota.

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