Aristophanes : An Author for the Stage

Carlo Ferdinando Russo's acclaimed work examines Aristophanes' comedies as plays intended for the stage--not the page. Russo's in-depth philological analysis of the plays is founded on an ever present perception of the realities of Greek theatre. He shows how deviations in the text can often be explained with reference to the actual competitions they were written for. He also considers the invention of printing as a cause of root changes in the nature of drama: the modern reader is inclined to see Aristophanes as an author of texts for reading, rather than of fluid libretti for performance. First published in Italy in 1962, it is now finally available in English and much updated.