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The Lost Plays of Greek Tragedy, Volume 1: Neglected Authors
Numerous books have been written about Greek tragedy, but almost all of them are concerned with the 32 plays that still survive. This book, by contrast, concentrates on the plays that no longer exist. Hundreds of tragedies were performed in Athens and further afield during the classical period, and even though nearly all are lost, a certain amount is known about them through fragments and other types of evidence.
Matthew Wright offers an authoritative two-volume critical introduction and guide to the lost tragedies. This first volume examines the remains of works by playwrights such as Phrynichus, Agathon, Neophron, Critias, Astydamas, Chaeremon, and many others who have been forgotten or neglected. (Volume 2 explores the lost works of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides.)
What types of evidence exist for lost tragedies, and how might we approach this evidence? How did these plays become lost or incompletely preserved? How can we explain why all tragedians except Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides became neglected or relegated to the status of 'minor' poets? What changes and continuities can be detected in tragedy after the fifth century BC? Can the study of lost works and neglected authors change our views of Greek tragedy as a genre? This book answers such questions through a detailed study of the fragments in their historical and literary context. Including English versions of previously untranslated fragments as well as in-depth discussion of their significance, The Lost Plays of Greek Tragedy makes these works accessible for the first time.
Matthew Wright offers an authoritative two-volume critical introduction and guide to the lost tragedies. This first volume examines the remains of works by playwrights such as Phrynichus, Agathon, Neophron, Critias, Astydamas, Chaeremon, and many others who have been forgotten or neglected. (Volume 2 explores the lost works of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides.)
What types of evidence exist for lost tragedies, and how might we approach this evidence? How did these plays become lost or incompletely preserved? How can we explain why all tragedians except Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides became neglected or relegated to the status of 'minor' poets? What changes and continuities can be detected in tragedy after the fifth century BC? Can the study of lost works and neglected authors change our views of Greek tragedy as a genre? This book answers such questions through a detailed study of the fragments in their historical and literary context. Including English versions of previously untranslated fragments as well as in-depth discussion of their significance, The Lost Plays of Greek Tragedy makes these works accessible for the first time.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 7, 2021
Such a useful and important book. Wright discusses the lives and works of all the Greek tragedians we know of *except* for Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. This is game-changing for our understanding of the genre as a whole, and presents a challenge to a lot of our taken-for-granted assumptions (such as the quality of the lost plays, the structure of the dramatic festival, the specifically Athenian nature of tragedy, the prominence of mythical rather than historical or contemporary subject matter, and intertextual relationships between poets and their works). Wright provides translations of all the surviving fragments and a list of plays sharing the same title/subject matter, as well as chronologies and guides for further reading. An invaluable resource for anyone studying Greek tragedy, and accessible for students at all levels.
June 5, 2023
The world of lost or fragmentary classical authors is one that has intrigued me for many a decade, built upon my earlier established interest in literature that emerged from ancient Greece and Rome. Having studied classical literature as an undergraduate and now developing my skills as a teacher of secondary school drama it seemed a no brainer to hit up Matthew Wright's text. Thankfully the experience of reading 'The Lost Plays of Greek Tragedy (Volume One)' has been a rewarding one. It is not necessarily a text one would read solely for pleasure, as it is aimed at a more academic audience. Yet Wright has produced a rather engaging work that most importantly brings together evidence and theories related to his topic whilst being aware of his limitations and those of the surviving fragments.
Wright's approach is well structured both in terms of the form of this book and also as intellectually. In the former context he has tried to bring together what is known, what is thought and what is postulated about dramatists whose work has (unlike Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripedes) not survived in sufficiently complete form. This includes the fragmentary evidence for those such as Phrynicus, Ion, Agathon, Dionysus of Syracuse and many others. Wright applies his considerable research efforts as well as his translation of the limited textual evidence to provide the reader with a detailed summary of these lost Greek tragedians' lives and careers. One would expect that if the reader is a student of ancient Greek drama or indeed classical literature in toto Wright's work would be both informative and perhaps a bit of a revelation.
In the latter context of his intellectual framework for this book Wright makes a very strong argument as to the underpinning uncertainty that informs any appreciation of these lost ancient playwrights. The author is always ready to suggest that no matter what he writes about each of the considered dramatists, their lives and their work a considerable portion of what he writes is at best hypothetical and at worst guesswork. Wright makes it clear that one can't just accept what remains, or indeed what other (ancient and modern) authors say about these writers. The existential questions that inform and arguably corrupt an understanding or reception of these lost writers' works must always be placed in the forefront of any appreciation and analysis.
As stated Wright's book is well-researched and he certainly provides a comprehensive introduction to the missing plays and playwrights of ancient Greece. He also provides a strong narrative re the development of ancient Greek drama as centred on Athens, with some acknowledgement of its wider spread through the Hellenic Mediterranean. His study is limited to those playwrights and works who flourished during the period from the late sixth century BCE, for about 200 years, until the era of Lycurgus. From this reviewer's perspective this leaves one with the question as to what was possibly written, produced and lost after that date. However this is a minor point and one that does not deflect from the overarching value of the book.
'The Lost Plays of Greek Tragedy (Volume One)' is going to be most valuable for students of ancient Greek drama and classical literature, as well as those intrigued by the phenomenon of lost cultural materials. Wright's book will also interest anyone keen to explore the ancient history of drama, though one suspects they might be more fixated on what can be staged and produced based on the extant literary sources. The prose may be at times a bit too obtuse for the lay reader, and there is also the (relatively) narrow focus of its subject. No matter; Wright has made a significant and engaging contribution to this fascinating area of literary history.
Wright's approach is well structured both in terms of the form of this book and also as intellectually. In the former context he has tried to bring together what is known, what is thought and what is postulated about dramatists whose work has (unlike Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripedes) not survived in sufficiently complete form. This includes the fragmentary evidence for those such as Phrynicus, Ion, Agathon, Dionysus of Syracuse and many others. Wright applies his considerable research efforts as well as his translation of the limited textual evidence to provide the reader with a detailed summary of these lost Greek tragedians' lives and careers. One would expect that if the reader is a student of ancient Greek drama or indeed classical literature in toto Wright's work would be both informative and perhaps a bit of a revelation.
In the latter context of his intellectual framework for this book Wright makes a very strong argument as to the underpinning uncertainty that informs any appreciation of these lost ancient playwrights. The author is always ready to suggest that no matter what he writes about each of the considered dramatists, their lives and their work a considerable portion of what he writes is at best hypothetical and at worst guesswork. Wright makes it clear that one can't just accept what remains, or indeed what other (ancient and modern) authors say about these writers. The existential questions that inform and arguably corrupt an understanding or reception of these lost writers' works must always be placed in the forefront of any appreciation and analysis.
As stated Wright's book is well-researched and he certainly provides a comprehensive introduction to the missing plays and playwrights of ancient Greece. He also provides a strong narrative re the development of ancient Greek drama as centred on Athens, with some acknowledgement of its wider spread through the Hellenic Mediterranean. His study is limited to those playwrights and works who flourished during the period from the late sixth century BCE, for about 200 years, until the era of Lycurgus. From this reviewer's perspective this leaves one with the question as to what was possibly written, produced and lost after that date. However this is a minor point and one that does not deflect from the overarching value of the book.
'The Lost Plays of Greek Tragedy (Volume One)' is going to be most valuable for students of ancient Greek drama and classical literature, as well as those intrigued by the phenomenon of lost cultural materials. Wright's book will also interest anyone keen to explore the ancient history of drama, though one suspects they might be more fixated on what can be staged and produced based on the extant literary sources. The prose may be at times a bit too obtuse for the lay reader, and there is also the (relatively) narrow focus of its subject. No matter; Wright has made a significant and engaging contribution to this fascinating area of literary history.
October 1, 2023
Terrific resource if you want to learn about Greek tragedy beyond the big three. In addition to the chapters describing the various tragedians in roughly chronological order, Wright includes an appendix contains Wright's English translations of tragic fragments and a thorough list in the epilogue of tragedy subject by myth, with a list of each tragedian who wrote a play on it. Wright also includes a chapter on Agathon (most famously known as the host in Plato's Symposium) and a chapter explaining all of the family relationships between various related dramatists.
June 3, 2017
This is a phenomenal resource for anyone interested in Greek tragôidia. Wright's perspective on these neglected authors is patient and thorough, and he helpfully argues that simply because scholars have ignored poets such as Diogenes, Dionysius, and Agathon, doesn't mean we should assume they were "bad" poets. This is a great, readable, fascinating book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews