Table Of ContentAnna A. Novokhatko
Greek Comedy and Embodied Scholarly Discourse
Anna A. Novokhatko
Greek Comedy
and Embodied
Scholarly Discourse
ISBN 978-3-11-108093-2
e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-108154-0
e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-108176-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022949447
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed
bibliographic data are available on the internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.
© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Cover image: Alexander Rodchenko, Sketch of a woman’s costume for “We”, unperformed production.
Director: Sergei Eisenstein, designer: Alexander Rodchenko. Moscow, 1919.
© Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, Moscow.
Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck
www.degruyter.com
in loving memory of my father, Alexey Grigorjevich Novokhatko (1948–2018)
Preface
Thisbookcouldnothavebeencompletedwithoutmanypeople.Itoriginatedas
aHabilitationsschrift,whichIwroteduringmyassistantprofessorshipattheIn-
stituteofClassicalPhilologyattheUniversityofFreiburgandcompletedinJuly
2018.Theroots,asalways,liemuchdeeper.Iowemyinitialinterestandmypas-
sionforGreekcomedytoBernhardZimmermann,whoinspiredmanystudiesof
dramainFreiburg,especiallyinhisprojecttocommentfragmentaryGreekcom-
edy (KomFrag),which began in 2011 and is still ongoing. Bernhard organised a
groupofscholarscalledtheKomFrag-Colloquium,ofwhichIwasamemberfor
years and learned immensely from the weekly discussions there. From that
group, Douglas Olson, Stelios Chronopoulos and Christian Orth commented on
various parts of my work over many years and contributed enormously with
their sharp criticism and brilliant ideas.The development of scholarship is an
obsession of my own, and the clash of these two worlds led to the core idea
ofthismonograph–theinterplayofcomedyandscholarshipinClassicalGreece.
IamverygratefultoRichardHunterandStephenHalliwell,whoadvisedand
encouraged me on drafts of earlier chapters. Three anonymous readers made
constructive suggestions that improved this book considerably. The Moscow
Bakhrushin Theatre Museum team assisted in obtaining the image on the
cover and permission to use it. I am also grateful to the publisher, De Gruyter,
and especially toSerena Pirrotta,who tackledthe enterprise of this manuscript
withgreatprofessionalism.Theprojectmanagers,AnneHillerandUllaSchmidt,
haveworkedefficientlyandcompetently.IamindebtedtoFlorenceLowforher
proofreading.Icannotlisteveryonewhowittinglyorunwittinglyparticipatedin
this process and supported me, but I am grateful to them all. Needless to say,
noneofthepersonsmentionedherebearsresponsibilityfortheremainingerrors
and shortcomings.
My family has been a source of unwavering encouragement. My parents,
Alexey and Irina Novokhatko, and my sister, Ekaterina Novokhatko, have
asked questions, discussed, and offered criticism at various stages of this pro-
ject. During the writing of this book, my sons Konstantin, Gregor and Michael
developed from non-existence to even writing their own poems. But above all,
my husband Iannis Carras,who read the text several times at different stages,
alwayscommenting,constantlyprotesting,hasbeenmyabsolutelyfaithfulsup-
porterinthisworkandineverythingIdo.ToallthesepeopleIowemorethanI
can ever express.
Finally, I dedicate this book to the memory of my father,who passed away
afterthecompletionoftheHabilitationbutbeforeitwasalteredintoitspresent
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111081540-002
VIII Preface
form.Icanneverthankhimenoughformyloveoftheuniverse,andinparticular
ofscholarship,oflaughter,ofpeople,ofancientandmodernlanguages.Hesim-
ply taught me to love and appreciate being loved. I miss him every minute.
Thessaloniki, November 2022
Contents
Introduction 1
Chapter
Proto-semantic studies 36
. On names, bow and life in Heraclitus 39
. Naming in Parmenides and Empedocles 43
. On yellow bile and semantic discourse in intellectual circles 46
. Embodied equality 52
Chapter
Grammar with perceptual details 55
. Correctness of speech 56
. Embodied correctness 61
. Protagoras on grammar 63
. Licymnius, Hippias and Prodicus on grammar 66
. Experiencing grammar 69
. Carving letters, dancing letters 71
Chapter
Approaches to style 78
. Roundness 79
. Pickle brine and the blind 87
. Solemnity 90
Chapter
Experiencing genres 95
. Old Comedy defines dramatic genres 95
. Antiphanes and Aristotle on generic composition 111
. Genre classification in other contemporary texts 115
Chapter
Striding in metre 123
. Weapon dance on the flute 123
. Measuring feet 126
. Striking back 130
X Contents
Chapter
Discourse on language and dialect 135
. Speaking in the fashion of… 136
. Hearing dialects on stage? 140
. Lamb’s speech 143
. Greek or Attic? 145
Chapter
Tracking Homeric criticism 148
. “Stern-posts” and “strengthless heads” 151
. Herodotus on Homeric studies 154
. Democritus and Homeric studies 155
. Other fragments on Homeric criticism 162
. Homeric criticism in the fourth century BCE 173
Chapter
The importance of being serious 188
. ‘The comic’ and ‘the serious’ 188
. Early critical notions 191
. Late Classical critical methods 196
. The cluster of γελοῖον in criticism: absurd, odd, out of place 201
.. γελοῖον in theatrical performance 201
.. γελοῖον asa critical term 206
.. Absurd, odd, out of place 209
Conclusion 216
Abbreviations 223
Bibliography 224
General Index 262
Index vocabulorum Graecorum 265
Index locorum 267
