French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. H. Sommerstein, Talking About Laughter: And Other Studies in Greek Comedy
Theatre and Performance
Alan H. Sommerstein, Talking About Laughter: And Other Studies in Greek Comedy, Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Pp. xiv, 343.
- ISBN 9780199554195.
- $125.00.
Reviewed by Andrew Hartwig (The University of Sydney) in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2009.09.20.
Online excerpts on books.google and amazon.com.
Publisher's Description:
This book brings together fourteen studies by Alan Sommerstein on Aristophanes and his fellow comic dramatists, some of which have not previously appeared in print. The studies cover almost all the major topics of Sommerstein's work — the nature and functions of comedy in Aristophanes' time, its connections with the society and politics of its day, the question of Aristophanes' own political stances, the light comedy can throw on classical Athenians' perception of basic social divisions (age, gender, citizen/alien, free/slave), comedy's exploitation of the expressive resources of the Greek language, the composition and production history of individual plays, and the history of the genre as a whole.
The Author: Alan H. Sommerstein is Professor of Greek at the University of Nottingham.
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. The language of Athenian women 2. The naming of women in Greek and Roman comedy 3. The anatomy of euphemism in Aristophanic comedy 4. Talking about laughter in Aristophanes 5. Old Comedians on Old Comedy 6. Slave and citizen in Aristophanic comedy 7. Monsters, ogres and demons in Old Comedy 8. The silence of Strepsiades and the agon of the first Clouds 9. Response to Niall Slater 10. An alternative democracy and an alternative to democracy in Aristophanic comedy 11. Lysistrata the warrior 12. Nudity, obscenity and power: modes of female assertiveness in Aristophanes 13. Kleophon and the restaging of Frogs 14. Platonios diff.com. 29-31 and 46-52 Koster: Aristophanes' Aiolosikon, Kratinos' Odysses and Middle Comedy
This collection of fourteen essays by Alan H. Sommerstein examines the rich tradition of ancient Greek comedy, focusing particularly on Aristophanes and his contemporaries. The volume explores how theatrical works reflected the complex social and political realities of classical Athens, shedding light on civic identity, gender roles, and the status of marginalized groups such as slaves and resident aliens. By analyzing both the broad cultural functions of dramatic performance and the specific mechanics of theatrical production, the author offers a comprehensive overview of how comic drama engaged with the ideological debates of its era.
Ideal for students and scholars of classical literature, theater history, and ancient Greek culture, the book provides valuable insights into the linguistic and rhetorical strategies employed by comic playwrights. Readers interested in the intersection of literature, politics, and social history in antiquity will find these studies particularly useful. The volume bridges broader historical contexts with close textual analysis, addressing enduring questions regarding the purpose of humor and the mechanics of dramatic expression within the democratic framework of classical Athens.