Theatre of the Greeks
A Series of Papers Relating to the History and Criticism of the Greek Drama

Enthusiasm, history and criticism combine to make Donaldson's volume as engaging today as when it was first published in 1836.

John William Donaldson (Author)

9781108012003, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 10 June 2010

616 pages
21.6 x 14 x 3.5 cm, 0.77 kg

Sometimes accused of privileging controversy over scholarly restraint, the philologist John William Donaldson (1811–1861) was a precocious talent. Only twenty-five when this book was first published in 1836, he was already a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and would live to see his book appear in numerous editions. Revisiting the subject of a successful book published a decade earlier by P. W. Buckham (died 1829), a fellow of St. John's College, Donaldson's colourful new approach proved popular with readers. The appeal of his writing endures, and few can resist his invitation to 'strip our thoughts of their modern garb' and escape into a world of dramatic comedy and tragedy. From the historical account of Thespis, the forefather of Western acting, to an engaging analysis of Euripides and Sophocles, this introduction retains all of the appeal that made it a standard text on the Victorian student's bookshelf.

Part I. The History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama: 1. On the origin of dramatic exhibitions in general
2. History of the choral element. Rise of the dialogue
3. Union of the two elements. Thespis
4. On the proper classification of Greek plays. Origin of comedy
5. Tragedians
6. Comedians
7. On the representation of Greek plays
Part II: 1. Aristotle's Poetics, translated by Twining
2. From Bentley's Dissertation upon the epistles of Phalaris
3. From Schlegel's Lectures on the drama
Part III. Excerpta critica: 1. Orthography
2. Syntax
3. Prosody
4. Appendix of examination papers.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]