euripides and the poetics of nostalgia

280 Pages·2006·1.45 MB·English

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euripides and the poetics of nostalgia
Branded by critics from Aristophanes to Nietzsche as sophistic, icono-
clastic, and sensationalistic, Euripides has long been held responsible for
thedemiseofGreektragedy.Despitethisreputation,hisdramahasafun-
damentally conservative character. It conveys nostalgia for an idealized
age that still respected the gods and traditional codes of conduct. Using
deconstructionist and feminist theory, this book investigates the theme
of the lost voice of truth and justice in four Euripidean tragedies. The
plays’unstablemixoflongingforatranscendentvoiceoftruthandskep-
ticism not only epitomizes the discursive practice of Euripides’ era but
also speaks to our postmodern condition. The book sheds new light on
thesourceoftheplaywright’stragicpowerandenduringappeal,revealing
thesurprisingrelevanceofhisworksforourownday.
Gary S. Meltzer was Assistant Professor of Classics and Humanities at
George Washington University and Associate Professor of Classics at
Eckerd College, where he held an endowed chair. Currently teaching
humanities at Villanova University, he has contributed to Classical Anti-
quity,TransactionsoftheAmericanPhilologicalAssociation,Helios,Classicaland
ModernLiterature,andTextandPresentation.
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EURIPIDES AND THE
POETICS OF NOSTALGIA
GARY S. MELTZER
iii
cambridge university press
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb22ru,UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521858731
©GaryS.Meltzer2006
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexceptionandtotheprovisionof
relevantcollectivelicensingagreements,noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplace
withoutthewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublishedinprintformat 2006
isbn-13 978-0-511-24948-8eBook(EBL)
isbn-10 0-511-24948-9 eBook(EBL)
isbn-13 978-0-521-85873-1hardback
isbn-10 0-521-85873-9 hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofurls
forexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,anddoesnot
guaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
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T
o mybeloved Jill, Emily, and Rebecca
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments page ix
NoteontheUseofGreek xi
Introduction 1
1. The “Just Voice” and “Word of Truth”: Divine
Revelation or Mythopoetic Construct? 33
2. The “Just Voice” as Paradigmatic Metaphor
in the Hippolytus 71
3. The Body’s Cry for Justice in the Hecuba 104
4. The Voice of Apollo and the “Empire of Signs”
in the Ion 146
5. Where Is the Glory of Troy? Heroic Fame in the Helen 188
Epilogue 223
WorksCited 229
GeneralIndex 241
GreekCitationIndex 256
EnglishCitationIndex 260
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