The Agōn in Classical Literature: Studies in Honour of Chris Carey(145 Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies Supplements)

The multifaceted agōn – a ‘contest of words’ – is a force formulating classical literary tradition. This book reflects on facets of the agōn and its representations in classical literature across a variety of genres and ideological contexts, from Homer to lyric poetry, drama, law, rhetoric and historiography, and the pivotal role of competition in ancient Greek thought. It sketches out key lines of inquiry pertaining to the study of the agōn as a literary, structural and dialectic form, as a means of authority and power, and as a competitive element in poetic diction and performance. Stimulating fresh discussions under a broad spectrum of theoretical and methodological approaches, this collection of essays explores the wide range of agonal dynamics, and their generic and cultural value.

Table of Contents:
Preface Athanasios Efstathiou Introduction Ioanna Karamanou: The agōn in its literary and ideological contexts I. The agonistic poetics of epos and early lyric, and their Hellenistic reception Agonistic epic interactions: the appalling punishment of Odysseus’ servants in Odyssey 22 Ioannis Lambrou: The agōn as literary motif in representations of the lyric poets Theodora A. Hadjimichael The poets’ voice against slander: Pindar (Pythian 2.53-6, 72-88), Callimachus’ Apollo Lyc(e)ius and other poetic ‘animals’ Flora P. Manakidou The golden age and traces of iambic mockery in bucolic agōn Ana Petkovic II. Debates on stage Agōn at play: rhetorical debate in Greek tragedy Akrivi Taousiani The dynamics of agōn in Sophocles’ Electra Styliani Papastamati Euripides’ agonistic rhetoric: the formal debates in the Alexandros Ioanna Karamanou A later treatment of the agōn-scene in Euripides’ Phoenissae Georgia Xanthaki-Karamanou The agōn in a modern Greek production of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata Stavroula Kiritsi The agōn in middle comedy Athina Papachrysostomou III. The notion of agōn in Greek thought and philosophical discourse Agön of excellence in ancient Greek thought and literature Ioannis N. Perysinakis Anger in Socrates’ philosophy Manuela Irarrazabal Socrates’ combat against Proteus in Plato’s dialogues Liana Lomiento Agōn: an Aristotelian way of life Maria Liatsi IV: Agonistic Rhetoric We are the champions: the role of agonistic metaphors in the political discourse of classical Greece Jakub Filonik Irony as a rhetorical tactic in Lysias’ dicastic agōnes Eleni Volonaki Brenda Griffith-Williams, ὁ γὰρ ἀγὼν οὐ μικρὸς αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν μεγίστων: competition for inheritance in ancient Greece Iphigeneia Giannadaki, Mēden aprobouleuton? Dem. 22 and the management of the ekklēsia’s business The agōn in Isaeus. A laudatio for Chris Carey Mike Edwards Christopher Carey – curriculum vitae General Index

About the Author :
Michael Edwards is Honorary Research Fellow at Royal Holloway, University of London, and was Professor of Classics in the Universities of London, Wales and Roehampton. He is the author of commentaries on the Attic orators Antiphon, Andocides and Lysias, and a translation of the speeches of Isaeus. He has published extensively on Greek oratory, and his research interests also include Plutarch, and Greek and Latin textual criticism.