Description
Book SynopsisAristophanes was clearly anxious about the role of the sophists and the new education in Athens. After the perceived failure of Clouds in 423 and its subsequent, unperformed revision, Aristophanes, this book argues, returned in 414 with Birds, a continuation and deepening of his critique found in Clouds. Peisetaerus or persuader of his comrades, the protagonist of Birds, though an old man, is clearly a student of Socrates' phrontisterion. Unlike Socrates, however, he is political and ambitious and he understands the whole of human nature, both rational and irrational. Peisetaerus employs the various deconstructive techniques of Socrates and his allies (which is summed up on the comic sage in the image of father-beating) to overturn not just human society, but, with the help of his new allies, the divine and musical birds, the cosmos. After his new gods and bird city, Cloudcuckooland, are actually established, however, the hero re-introduces the old ways - justice, moderation, and obedi
Trade ReviewIn this impressive and original study of Aristophanes’ longest and most spectacular comedy, Daniel Holmes shows convincingly how the protagonist, adept in the rhetoric of the sophists, exercises persuasion to bring about a new society – one that is functional but lacking in joy and beauty. Along the way, Holmes offers illuminating insights into the sophist movement, utopian theories, and popular attitudes toward politics in classical Athens. -- David Konstan, New York University
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Peisetaerus and Euelpides Chapter 2: Persuading Tereus Chapter 3: Persuading the Birds Chapter 4: Persuading Human Beings Chapter 5: Nephelokokkygia I: Before the City is Founded Chapter 6: Nephelokokkygia II: After the City is Founded Chapter 7: The Return of Nomos Chapter 8: Persuading the Gods Chapter 9: Peisetaerus Tyrannos Conclusion Appendix 1: Line Allocation of the Prologue (1–161) Appendix 2: Pederasty in Aristophanes
