Oedipus Tyrannus : tragic heroism and the limits of knowledge

Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge, 2/e, is an accessible yet in-depth literary study of Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus (Oedipus Rex)--the most famous Greek tragedy and one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature. This unique volume combines a close, scene-by-scene literary analysis of the text with an account of the play's historical, intellectual, social, and mythical background and also discusses the play's place in the development of the myth and its use of the theatrical conventions of Greek drama. Based on a fresh scrutiny of the Greek text, this book offers a contemporary literary interpretation of the play, including a readable, nontechnical discussion of its underlying moral and philosophical issues; the role of the gods; the interaction of character, fate, and chance; the problem of suffering and meaning; and Sophocles' conception of tragedy and tragic heroism. This lucid guide traces interpretations of the play from antiquity to modern times--from Aristotle to Hegel, Nietzsche, Freud, Lacan, Lévi-Strauss, Girard, and Vernant--and shows its central role in shaping the European conception of tragedy and modern notions of the self. This second edition draws on new approaches to the study of Greek tragedy; discusses the most recent interpretative scholarship on the play; and contains an annotated up-to-date bibliography. Ideal for courses in classical literature in translation, Greek drama, classical civilization, theater, and literature and arts, Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge, 2/e, will also reward general readers interested in literature and especially tragedy.

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Comprehensive and enlightening (if occasionally a little facile), this useful book is aimed particularly at the "Greekless" student of literature seeking a brief contemporary introduction to Sophocle's great tragedy. Segal (Harvard) has written a volume that is thorough without being pedantic, and serious without being intimidating. The book is divided into two sections, with some degree of overlap. Chapters 1-7 treat of the historical milieu of fifth-century BCE Athens, in which the play was written, the conventions and staging of Attic tragedy (including the function of the Chorus), the changes in the received myth apparently made by Sophocles (both here and in the Oedipus at Colonus), and the play's reception, influence, and interpretation down through Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance to the present day, including the interpretations not only of Freud, but of L'evi-Strauss, Vernant, and Girard as well. In Chapters 8-11 is Segal's own scene-by-scene literary reading of the play (it is not a line-by-line commentary), to which Chapter 11 serves as an epilogue and overview. All citations of the text are in English (mostly from the translations of Grene and Fagles, though occasionally the author's own renderings). Endnotes; selected bibliography; good index. Recommended for undergraduate students of the classics and comparative literature, graduate students, and general readers. C. J. Zabrowski; Gettysburg College

Illustrations	p. vi
Preface to the Second Edition	p. vii
A Note on References and Acknowledgments	p. ix
Chronology	p. xi
Literary and Historical Context
1 Introduction	p. 3
2 Historical and Cultural Background	p. 7
3 Performance, Theater, and Social Context	p. 15
4 The Oedipus Myth and Its Interpretation	p. 24
5 Oedipus and the Trials of the Hero	p. 49
6 Life's Tragic Shape: Plot, Design, and Destiny	p. 53
Reading Oedipus Tyrannus
7 The Crisis of the City and the King	p. 72
8 Discovery and Reversal	p. 88
9 Resolution: Tragic Suffering, Heroic Endurance	p. 108
10 Inner Vision and Theatrical Spectacle	p. 123
11 "To Look upon the Light for the Last Time": The Place of Oedipus Tyrannus in Sophocles' Work	p. 131
12 Reception, Influence, and Recent Literary Criticism	p. 144
Selected Bibliography	p. 179
Index	p. 191

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