Roman Laughter: The Comedy Of Plautus (harvard Studies In Comparative Literature)

Mr. Segal has performed the by no means trifling task of making [Plautus's] achievement credible and understandable.— Times Literary Supplement . It is refreshing to find Plautus examined for what he undeniably was—a theatrical phenomenon.— Classical World . We certainly need in English a book devoted to Plautus alone and here we have it.— Phoenix . Many readers will do as I have done: read Roman Laughter with enjoyment and profit.— Classical Philology . Of all the Greek and Roman playwrights, Erich Segal writes, Titus Maccius Plautus is the least admired and the most imitated. In Roman Laughter , the first book-length study of Plautus, Segal argues that this neglected writer, often denounced by scholars for such crimes as barbarous clownery, merits our serious attention precisely because he was the most successful poet of the ancient world. He analyzes the reasons behind this success, placing the author in his social and historical context and observing that Plautus's wildly comedic flouting of Roman law and custom had a cathartic effect upon a people bound by rule in every aspect of their lives. This expanded edition contains a new preface that reconsiders the work of Plautus in light of recent scholarship and also contains essays on the Amphitryon and the Captivi . "Mr. Segal has performed the by no means trifling task of making [Plautus's] achievement credible and understandable."-- Times Literary Supplement . "It is refreshing to find Plautus examined for what he undeniably was--a theatrical phenomenon."-- Classical World . "We certainly need in English a book devoted to Plautus alone and here we have it."-- Phoenix . "Many readers will do as I have read Roman Laughter with enjoyment and profit."-- Classical Philology . "Of all the Greek and Roman playwrights," Erich Segal writes, "Titus Maccius Plautus is the least admired and the most imitated." In Roman Laughter , the first book-length study of Plautus, Segal argues that this neglected writer, often denounced by scholars for such crimes as "barbarous clownery," merits our serious attention precisely because he was the most successful poet of the ancient world. He analyzes the reasons behind this success, placing the author in his social and historical context and observing that Plautus's wildly comedic flouting of Roman law and custom had a cathartic effect upon a people bound by rule in every aspect of their lives. This expanded edition contains a new preface that reconsiders the work of Plautus in light of recent scholarship and also contains essays on the Amphitryon and the Captivi . Contents......Page 14 Introduction......Page 18 I. "O Tempora, O Mos Maiorum"......Page 32 II. From Forum to Festival......Page 59 III. Puritans, Principles, and Pleasures......Page 87 IV. From Slavery to Freedom......Page 116 V. From Freedom to Slavery......Page 154 Appendix: Problems in Plautus......Page 188 Abbreviated Titles......Page 244 Notes......Page 246 Index of Passages from Plautus......Page 306 C......Page 312 J......Page 313 M......Page 314 S......Page 315 W......Page 316 We certainly need in English a book devoted to Plautus alone and here we have it.' Phoenix This reissue of virtually the only book in English devoted to the work of the Roman comedy writer Plautus (c. 254-184 BC) includes a new preface and additional appendices covering the plays Amphitryon and Captivi