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L.A. Swift, The hidden chorus: echoes of genre in tragic lyric

L.A. Swift, The hidden chorus: echoes of genre in tragic lyric

Publié le par Frédérique Fleck

L. A. Swift, The hidden chorus: echoes of genre in tragic lyric. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, coll. "Oxford classical monographs",  2010. xii, 451 p.

  • $130.00.
  • ISBN 9780199577842.

Présentation de l'éditeur:

The Hidden Chorus investigatesthe relationship between the chorus of Greek tragedy and other types ofchoral song in Greek society. Choruses performed on a range ofoccasions in Greek culture, ranging from private weddings and funeralsto large-scale religious festivals, yet the relationship between theseeveryday or 'ritual' choruses and the choruses of tragedy has neverbeen systematically examined. L. A. Swift discusses choruses from fiveritual genres: paian (religious songs of celebration or healing),epinikion (songs for athletic victors), partheneia (songs for thetransitions of young girls), hymenaios (wedding song), and threnos(funerary song), and explores how these choral forms are evoked intragedy. By examining the relationship between tragic and non-tragicchoral song, she not only provides new insights into individual plays,but also enriches our understanding of the role poetry and song playedin Greek life.

  • Close readings of how genres are evoked in various tragedies offer new interpretations of the plays and passages discussed
  • Analysis of five lyric genres provides a detailed overview of a difficult topic
  • Evokes a wider social context in its exploration of tragedy and choral poetry in Athenian life