{"product_id":"staged-narrative-james-barrett-9780520231801","title":"Staged Narrative: Poetics and the Messenger in Greek Tragedy","description":"The messenger who reports important action that has occurred offstage is a familiar inhabitant of Greek tragedy. A messenger informs us about the death of Jocasta and the blinding of Oedipus, the madness of Heracles, the slaughter of Aigisthos, and the death of Hippolytus, among other important events. Despite its prevalence, this conventional figure remains only little understood. Combining several critical approaches--narrative theory, genre study, and rhetorical analysis--this lucid study develops a synthetic view of the messenger of Greek tragedy, showing how this role illuminates some of the genre's most persistent concerns, especially those relating to language, knowledge, and the workings of tragic theater itself. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJames Barrett gives close readings of several plays including Aeschylus's \u003ci\u003ePersians, \u003c\/i\u003eSophocles' \u003ci\u003eElectra \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eOedipus Tyrannus, \u003c\/i\u003eand Euripides' \u003ci\u003eBacchae \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eRhesos. \u003c\/i\u003eHe traces the literary ancestry of the tragic messenger, showing that the messenger's narrative constitutes an unexplored site of engagement with Homeric epic, and that the role illuminates fifth-century b.c. experimentation with modes of speech. Breaking new ground in the study of Athenian tragedy, Barrett deepens our understanding of many central texts and of a form of theater that highlights the fragility and limits of human knowledge, a theme explored by its use of the messenger.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e James Barrett\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0520231805\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780520231801\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of California Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/13\/2002\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 274\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.11lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.24h x 6.24w x 0.93d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2003 pg. 979","brand":"James Barrett","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":45896426127615,"sku":"9780520231801","price":63.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_6f28e0ea-8135-4c2c-bffe-4cf23dcf41f1.jpg?v=1721371371","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/staged-narrative-james-barrett-9780520231801","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}