Narrative, Intertext, and Space in Euripides' "Phoenissae"

Description

Euripides’ Phoenissae bears one of the richest tragic plots: multiple narrative levels are interwoven by means of various anachronies, focalizers offer different and often challenging points of view, while a complex mythical matrix is deftly employed as the backdrop against which the exploration of the mechanics of tragic narrative takes place. After providing a critical perspective on the ongoing scholarly dialogue regarding narratology and drama, this book uses the former as a working tool for the study and interpretation of the latter. The Phoenissae is approached as a coherent narrative unit and issues like the use of myth, narrators, intertext, time and space are discussed in detail. It is within these contexts that the play is seen as a Theban mythical ‛thesaurus’ both exploring previous mythical ramifications and making new additions. The result is rewarding: Euripides constructs a handbook of the Theban saga that was informative for those mythically untrained, fascinating for those theatrically demanding, but also dexterously open upon each one’s reception. Frontmatter Contents Acknowledgements Chapter 1. Theorizing tragic narration Chapter 2. Retelling the past, shaping the future: Onstage narrative and offstage allusions (Phoenissae 1-689) Chapter 3. Violating expectations: Offstage narrative and the play’s open end (Phoenissae 690-1766) Chapter 4. Intertextuality Chapter 5. Space Conclusions. Myth for all: the play’s flexi-narrative Backmatter