Nonsense and Meaning in Ancient Greek ComedyThis book examines the concept of 'nonsense' in ancient Greek thought and uses it to explore the comedies of the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. If 'nonsense' (phluaria, lēros) is a type of language felt to be unworthy of interpretation, it can help to define certain aspects of comedy that have proved difficult to grasp. Not least is the recurrent perception that although the comic genre can be meaningful (i.e. contain political opinions, moral sentiments and aesthetic tastes), some of it is just 'foolery' or 'fun'. But what exactly is this 'foolery', this part of comedy which allegedly lies beyond the scope of serious interpretation? The answer is to be found in the concept of 'nonsense': by examining the ways in which comedy does not mean, the genre's relationship to serious meaning (whether it be political, aesthetic, or moral) can be viewed in a clearer light. |
Contents
Greek notions of nonsense | 16 |
riddles allegories metaphors | 52 |
the case of Cinesias | 87 |
jokes puns and language play | 118 |
comedys nonsense accusations | 161 |
Conclusions | 187 |
| 205 | |
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Common terms and phrases
abstractions accusation aggression allegory Antiphanes argue argument Aristophanes Aristotle Aristotle’s articulate Athenian audience become Birds Chapter character Cinesias Cleisthenes Cleon Cleonymus coinages comedy comedy’s comic gags consider context delirious delirium Dionysus discussion dithyrambic Dover Ecclesiazusae Eupolis example explain first Freud genre gibberish Greek Halliwell 2008 homophony Hoopoe hubris humor idea interpretation Isocrates joke joke’s Kinsman Kori language play laugh laughter listening Lysias meaning meaningless Menecrates metaphor mistake mocked mockery negative obscure Olson on-stage onomasti opposition passage pejorative perceived perception of nonsense Phanias Pherecrates phluarein phluaria phrase Plato play signal playful pleasure Plut Plutarch Prytanis Pseudartabas punchline puns question reactions reality reference reference-free regarding relationship repetition rhetorical riddle Rosen scholars seems sense serious content simply Socrates Sommerstein sort speaker speaking nonsense Strepsiades suggests sympotic taking seriously talk nonsense Thesmophoriazusae things Thracian translation uév useless utterance wordplay words Xenophon’s δὲ καὶ τὸν δεῖνα