Inaugural-Dissertation--Jena, 1914.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Supervisor: Thomas K. Hubbard. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1996. / This is an electronic reproduction of TREN, #090-0023. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 179-205).

Inaug.-Diss.--Leipzig. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thèse--Uppsala. Without thesis statement. / Bibliography: p. [210]-213.

This research, a computer-assisted analysis of fifth century drama covering thirty-six plays: eleven of Aristophanes, eighteen of Euripides, and seven of Sophocles, contains detailed information concerning the distribution of letters in their works. 4 A general letter count was refined in terms of vowels and consonants, and the six consonant groups: gutturals, labials, dentals, liquids, aspirates, and sibilants. Each play was examined individually first as a whole and then in part, the trimeter sections, for as a letter or a group is to the whole so should it be to the part. And if not, why not. A principal consideration was the contribution of sibilants as a 'sound*, Sigma was regarded adversely by literary critics in antiquity; this provides a useful link between quantity and quality. With a view to objectivity, the programmed research was designed with few assumptions and the raw data collected without bias. That is, no a-priori assignments of subjective factors such as 'harshness' were made. The frequency of every letter in an initial, medial, or final position within a phonetic-word and within a verse-line was recorded. Each play, and subsequently each author, was described in terms of vowel to consonant ratio, consonant group representation, consonant group position (i, m, or f), and consonant group alliteration in trimeter scenes. Rudimentary 'voice-prints' for each author emerged indicating individual traits, preferences, and time-dependent features of an author's style. Differences between Comedy and Tragedy were measured and the question of Euripides' alleged excessive sigmaticism examined in full. Evidence of Aristophanes' comic characterisation of Euripides was presented in some detail.

The thesis examines the technique of humour of the old comedians other than Aristophanes, concentrating particularly upon the four for whom we have the best evidence, viz. Cratinus, Eupolis, Pherecrates and Plato. The internal and external evidence for the kind of humour they employed is considered under five principal groupings, viz. The Visual Elements, Ridicule and Criticism, Physical Humour, Parody and Borrowings, and Imagery, Vocabulary and Verbal Devices. Within these main groupings there are many sub-divisions under which the examples of particular techniques are collected and discussed. A list of references is normally given, unless the discussion itself has already listed all examples. Several longer fragments are given detailed consideration and there is an index of fragments discussed. Account is taken of the most recently discovered fragments published in Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Many conclusions relate to limited techniques or even to particular fragments, but in broad terms we can see that Cratinus plays' had varied political, literary, philosophical and social themes and that some of his burlesques were allegories. Criticism and invective were strongly represented, there was some obscenity, parody tended to be of homer and the early poets rather than of Fifth Century Tragedy, and verbal inventiveness and word-play were prominent. Cratinus had much to say of his rivals and himself. Eupolis overriding interest was in topical criticism and he had no taste for fantasy and mythological burlesque. He shows no signs of full-scale criticism of Tragedy, but some interest in lyric poetry and in philosophy is apparent. He exploited sexual and excretory humour, but was less given to coining words than Crantius. Pherecrates avoided political criticism on the scale of Cratinus and Eupolis attacks and composed rather plays of everyday life. Dietary humour and the Golden Age these are well attested in his work, but he used obscenity with some restraint. He shows but a listed interest in parody. Plato wrote both in the Old and Middle Comedy style, composing burlesques, political plays and literary comedies. Burlesques with erotic themes were particularly to his liking (of. Aleseus Comicus), and sexual humour was probably an important part of his technique. Plato was capable in his use of imagery and verbal humour. Strattis provides our best evidence for burlescue of Tragedy on a large scale.

No description available.

No description available.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1949 I7 / Master of Science