Fragmenta Comica Series

This volume forms the second part of the three-volume commentary on the fragments of Diphilus, who belongs to the prominent triad of the poets of New Comedy alongside Menander and Philemon. The present volume comprises the text and an English translation of the fragments of twenty-two plays of Diphilus, followed by a full-scale (philological, thematic, literary, interpretative, historical) commentary that also yields insight into the reception of Diphilan comedy in Roman theatre. This in-depth study of the Diphilan techniques of verbal humour and performance aims at shedding light on the dramatist's distinctive place in the comic tradition, as well as showcasing a degree of variation in the overall image of the production of new comedy.

This work is part of the Fragmenta Comica series which aims to provide commentaries and translations to all the surviving fragments and testimonia of the comic poets of ancient Greece. This volume offers the first scholarly commentary and sustained study of several late fourth-century BCE poets of the so-called New Comedy – among them Philippides of Athens, a writer and dramatist highly esteemed in antiquity, known especially for his acrimonious clashes with Athenian demagogues and his influential friendship with foreign kings. All fragments are subject to close textual, linguistic and stylistic analysis, and are interpreted against the wider literary, social and historical background of the period. This volume will be a valuable reference work for scholars and students of ancient comedy, as well as anyone interested in ancient literature more generally and the broader historical and cultural contexts in which these texts were written.

This book is a fully-fledged commentary on the fragments of the Greek comic poets Nausicrates and Nicostratus. By reconstructing the text and providing metrical, linguistic, and detailed philological analysis, it makes the work of these neglected authors accessible to all those interested in Greek drama and classical literature at large.

Theopompos was one of the leading comic playwrights of late fifth- and early fourth-century Athens, competing actively with the great Aristophanes and winning several victories. This volume presents the first complete translation and commentary on his surviving fragments. He participated in important trends during the transition from Old to Middle Comedy, including tragic and epic parody and an interest in the figure of the hetaira; among other gems, his fragments include the oldest extant reference to the philosopher Plato.

Der Band 3.5 der Fragmenta Comica enthält die fragmentarisch überlieferten Komödien Seriphioi, Trophonios, Cheimanzomenoi, Cheirones und Horoi des Kratinos. Der Text basiert wie in den anderen Bänden der Reihe mit einigen Modifikationen auf den Poetai Comici Graeci (edd. R. Kassel und C. Austin). Die Fragmente werden ausführlich unter philologischen und historischen Gesichtspunkten kommentiert und sind mit einer italienischen Übersetzung versehen.

Antiphanes is one of the most important writers of the Middle Attic comedy. His plays deal with matters connected to mythological subjects, although others referenced particular professional and national persons or characters, while other plays focused on the intrigues of personal life. This volume contains a critical text, translation and complete philological, literary and historical commentary on the fragments of Antiphanes' Sappho and subsequent plays, along with the fragments without a play-title (including dubia).

Antiphanes is one of the most important writers of the Middle Attic comedy. His plays deal with matters connected to mythological subjects, although others referenced particular professional and national persons or characters, while other plays focused on the intrigues of personal life. This volume contains an introduction, a critical text, translation and complete philological, literary and historical commentary on the testimonia and fragments (fr. 1 – 100; Agroikos/The Rustic – Ephesia/The Girl of Ephesus) of Antiphanes.

In diesem italienischsprachige Band 10.7 der Fragmenta Comica werden neun fragmentarisch überlieferte Komödien des Aristophanes, von der ersten Fassung der Wolken bis zum Proagon, übersetzt und kommentiert. In den Fragmenten lassen sich wichtige Themen der Komödie des 5. Jahrhunderts, der Phase der sogenannten Alten Komödie (Archaia), erkennen: die kritische Auseinandersetzung mit der Sophistik, die Tragödienparodie, der Gegensatz von Krieg und Frieden sowie von arm und reich, der athenische Imperialismus, der Generationenkonflikt sowie Literatur- und Musikkritik.

In diesem italienischsprachigen Band 10.6 der Fragmenta Comica werden fünf fragmentarisch überlieferte Komödien des Aristophanes übersetzt und kommentiert. In den Fragmenten lassen sich wichtige Themen der Komödie des 5. Jahrhunderts, der Phase der sogenannten Alten Komödie (Archaia), erkennen: der Gegensatz von Krieg und Frieden, die Religion– und Mythenparodie, die Tragödienparodie sowie die Literaturkritik, der Geschlechterkonflikt sowie die Mysogynie und die Gynaikokratie. Die Fragmente werden ausführlich unter philologischen und historischen Gesichtspunkten kommentiert.

This is the second of three volumes of the series "Fragmenta Comica" devoted to Pherecrates (2nd half of the 5th century BCE), a major representative of Old Comedy and contemporary of Aristophanes. Andrea Pellettieri offers new analysis of fragments 43-84, with an Italian-language translation and an in-depth commentary which focuses on topics including Pherecrates' language, style, and stagecraft. The sources of the fragments receive thoroughly examination as well.

This volume is devoted to the over 200 fragments of Cratinus for which have no play title. Much of the material has never been commented on previously. Douglas Olson and Ryan Seaberg offer a close literary, philological and historical study of the fragments, with particular attention to textual, poetic and linguistic issues of all sorts and to the lexicographic sources that preserve the material. Their general goal is to open up problems and perspectives rather than to shut them down. By teasing out some of their individual puzzles and peculiarities they want to render the fragments accessible to further scholarly work. The commentary of the Fragmenta Comica series illuminate not only the genre history of comedy, but also the Greek literary history of the Classical and Hellenistic period.

Der italienisch-sprachige Band enthält zehn Komödien (Krapataloi, Leroi, Metalles, Metoikoi, Myrmekanthropoi, Persai, Petale, Tyrannis, Cheiron, Pseuderakles) des Pherekrates, eines älteren Zeitgenossen des Aristophanes, der von den 30er Jahren des 5. Jahrhunderts bis ca. 410 tätig war. Die in diesem Band kommentierten Stücke zeigen den Ideenreichtum des komischen Dichters und die Vielzahl der Themen und Spielformen, mit denen er vielfach spätere Entwicklung vorwegnahm. Von besonderem Interesse für die Geschichte der griechischen Musik und der chorlyrischen Gattung des Dithyrambos sind die Fragmente des Cheiron.

Der italienisch-sprachige Band bietet einen Kommentar zu den Fragmenten und Testimonien von zwölf griechischen Komödiendichtern des 4. Jahrhunderts v.Chr.: Kalliades, Kallikrates, Klearchos, Kratinos der Jüngere, Krobylos, Heniochos, Herakleides, Eubulides, Euphanes, Euthias, Euthykles und Mnesimachos. Die Auswahl stellt einen repräsentativen Querschnitt dar und ermöglicht es, die Entwicklung der Gattung Komödie, der Themen und der Motive im Vergleich zur vorangehenden und folgenden Komödienproduktion zu beleuchten. Als konstitutive Merkmale sind die Verspottung einiger Philosophenschulen, vor allem der Anhänger des Pythagoras, Mythenparodie, die Präsenz von ›stock characters‹ wie der Mürrische, der Vielfraß, die Hetäre oder der Koch, die Verspottung der Fremden aufgrund ihrer Sitten, Gepflogenheiten und bestimmter sprachlicher Besonderheiten, Kataloge von Speisen und damit verbundene erotische Doppeldeutigkeiten zu erkennen. Durch die kommentierende Erschließung dieser Komödiendichter konnte die communis opinio widerlegt werden, dass die Komödie des 4. Jahrhunderts v. Chr. an politischen, aktuellen Themen desinteressiert gewesen sei.

Ephippus is an outstanding playwright of Greek Middle Comedy. He won a single Lenaean victory ca. 378-376 BC and continued being productive until the late 340s. His twenty-eight surviving fragments reveal a wide thematic range: myth burlesque (with a special fondness for Heracles), political allegory, sympotic themes, personal mockery, satire of philosophy (Plato), hetairai. His corpus features seven hapax terms, as well as the highest percentage of anapaestic dimeter lines of all poets of Middle Comedy.

This volume of the series «Fragmenta Comica» is devoted to one of the major names in the first generation of comic poets, Crates. Mentioned by Aristophanes in the Knights among his predecessors ill-treated by the public, and credited in Aristoteles' Poetics of a key-role within the history of the comic genre, Crates appears to have received significant attention in antiquity. Yet tradition has not been kind with him and the remains of his production are very scanty and in many ways problematic. Almost half a century after the last monograph devoted to Crates, Serena Perrone offers a new close analysis of the testimonia and the sixty surviving fragments, translated and commented in detail. The picture that emerges is of a much more nuanced profile than previously described.

Antiphanes is one of the most important writers of the Middle Attic comedy. His plays deal with matters connected to mythological subjects, although others referenced particular professional and national persons or characters, while other plays focused on the intrigues of personal life. This volume contains a critical text, translation and complete philological, literary and historical commentary on the fragments of Antiphanes' Zakynthios and subsequent plays, along with the fragments without a play-title (including dubia).

From some points of view, Timocles departs from the norm of his time, and in particular from near-contemporary comedians such as Alexis, Eubulus and Antiphanes, and appears to be the most 'Aristophanic' poet of the fourth century. More specifically, in a period when political satire seems to have lost its vigor, he employs acerbic attacks against major and minor Athenian politicians. The fact that at least sixteen of the forty-two surviving fragments of his poetry contain explicit or implicit references to politicians can hardly be attributed to chance. Timocles' inventiveness and versatility are also demonstrated, inter alia, in his combination of different motifs, his association of mythical figures with contemporary personalities and his employment of a figurative language. The present volume follows the principles and structure of the commentaries of the KomFrag project. It includes an introduction on Timocles and a detailed examination and commentary of the testimonies and the surviving fragments.