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

Download or read book Narrative, Intertext, and Space in Euripides' "Phoenissae" written by Anna A. Lamari and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2010-09-22 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.