Argonautika

Argonautika
Author: Mary Zimmerman
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2013-04-30
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 0810126060

As in her Tony Award–winning Metamorphoses, Mary Zimmerman transforms Greek mythology—here the story of Jason and the Argonauts—into a mesmerizing piece of theater. Encountering an array of daunting challenges in their “first voyage of the world,” Jason and his crew illustrate the essence of all such journeys to follow—their unpredictability, their inspiring and overwhelming breadth of emotion, their lessons in the inevitability of failure and loss. Bursts of humor and fantastical creatures enrich a story whose characters reveal remarkable complexity. Medea is profoundly sympathetic even as the seeds are sown for the monstrous life ahead of her, and the brute strength of Hercules leaves him no less vulnerable to the vicissitudes of love. Zimmerman brings to Argonautika her trademark ability to encompass the full range of human experience in a work as entertaining as it is enlightening.

The Argonautika

The Argonautika
Author: Apollonios Rhodios
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 504
Release: 1997-11-30
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780520912120

The Argonautika, the only surviving epic of the Hellenistic era, is a retelling of the tale of Jason and the Golden Fleece, probably the oldest extant Greek myth. Jason, a young prince, is sent on a perilous expedition but comes through various ordeals with the aid of the king's daughter, Medeia, winning the golden fleece and carrying off Medeia herself. He is a very modern figure, not at all Achillean: almost an anti-hero. Along the way, the story incorporates vivid accounts of early exploration and colonizing ventures. Peter Green's lively, readable verse translation captures the swift narrative movement of Apollonios's epic Greek. Apollonios Rhodios (c. 305-235 B.C.), the author of the Argonautika, was appointed Chief Librarian in the legendary library at Alexandria around 265 B.C. His first draft of this poem, composed when he was a very young man, drew scornful reactions from the literati of the day, Kallimachos in particular, who thought epic passé and long poems vulgar. Apollonios withdrew to the maritime island of Rhodes (his work is notable for its nautical expertise), where he hammered out the text as we know it today, returning to eventual success in the city that had rejected him. The compromise that resulted is a fascinating combination of age-old myth and modern treatment that produces a gripping and unforgettable narrative. Peter Green has translated this renowned poem with skill and wit, offering a refreshing interpretation of a timeless story. The cloth edition of the Argonautika includes Peter Green's lively and incisive commentary, the first on all four books since Mooney's in 1912. While clarifying text and background, the commentary takes full advantage throughout of the recent upsurge of scholarly interest in Apollonios. Alternate spelling: Argonautica, Apollonius Rhodius

The Odyssey

The Odyssey
Author: Homer
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 536
Release: 2018-03-28
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0520966872

The Odyssey is vividly captured and beautifully paced in this swift and lucid new translation by acclaimed scholar and translator Peter Green. Accompanied by an illuminating introduction, maps, chapter summaries, a glossary, and explanatory notes, this is the ideal translation for both general readers and students to experience The Odyssey in all its glory. Green’s version, with its lyrical mastery and superb command of Greek, offers readers the opportunity to enjoy Homer’s epic tale of survival, temptation, betrayal, and vengeance with all of the verve and pathos of the original oral tradition.

The Best of the Argonauts

The Best of the Argonauts
Author: James J. Clauss
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 1993-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780520079250

This revelatory exploration of Book One of the Argonautica rescues Jason from his status as the ineffectual hero of Apollonius' epic poem. James J. Clauss argues that by posing the question, "Who is the best of the Argonauts?" Apollonius redefines the epic hero and creates, in Jason, a man more realistic and less awesome than his Homeric predecessors, one who is vulnerable, dependent on the help of others, even morally questionable, yet ultimately successful. In bringing Apollonius' "curious and demanding poem" to life, Clauss illuminates two features of the poet's narrative style: his ubiquitous allusions to the poetry of others, especially Homer, and the carefully balanced structural organization of his episodes. The poet's subtextual interplay is explored, as is his propensity for underscoring the manipulation of the poetry of others through ring composition.

Metamorphoses

Metamorphoses
Author: Mary Zimmerman
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
Total Pages: 115
Release: 2002
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 0810119803

This play is based on David R. Slavitt's translation of The Metamorphoses of Ovid - Monologues.

Process

Process
Author: Mary Scruggs
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2008
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 0810124726

Process: An Improviser's Journey is an invaluable resource for mastering improv. Author, teacher, and improviser Michael Gellman was given a mission by famed improv coach Del Close: “[T]o create improvised one-act plays of literary quality from scratch.” Already steeped in the world of improvisation, he took it upon himself to do this, in the form of a class for other improvisers in which they would build the skills necessary to execute such a seemingly tall order. Scruggs and Gellman’s book, modeled after Stanislavski’s timeless An Actor Prepares, follows a fictional young actor taking Gellman’s real-life class. Scruggs and Gellman introduce readers to Geoff, who has just moved to Chicago to pursue acting. He undergoes the standard trials of audition and rejection before he takes the advice of a fellow actor and turns to improv classes at Second City. At first, Geoff thinks improvisation is about laughs and loosening up, but he soon learns that it is a powerful tool as well as an end in itself. Through Geoff’s eyes, the book introduces readers to key tenets of improvisation: concentration, visualization, focus, object work, being in the moment, and the crucial “yes, and.” His experiences with the basics of improvisation do serve to get him a few roles, but his real breakthrough comes when he signs up for an improvised one-act class with Michael Gellman. He and his classmates arrive unprepared for the challenge, but with Gellman’s prompts and advice, they slowly move through process to performance over the course of three seasons in Chicago. The class culminates with their final project: a completely improvised one-act play performed in front of a live audience.

Jason and Medea

Jason and Medea
Author: Apollonius (Rhodius.)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 542
Release: 1902
Genre:
ISBN:

Hyperboreans

Hyperboreans
Author: Timothy P. Bridgman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2004-02-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 1135879788

In Greek mythology, Hyperboreans were a tribe who lived far to Greece's north. Contained in what has come down to us of Greek literary tradition are texts that identify the Hyperboreans with the Celts, or Hyperborean lands with Celtic ones. This groundbreaking book studies the texts that make or imply this identification, and provides reasons why some ancient Greek authors identified a mythical people with an actual one. Timothy P. Bridgman demonstrates not only that these authors mythologize history, but that they used the traditional Greek parallel mythical world to interpret history throughout ancient Greek culture, thought and literature.

The Tempest and Its Travels

The Tempest and Its Travels
Author: Peter Hulme
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2000
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 9781861890665

The Tempest and its Travels offers a new map of the play by means of an innovative collection of historical, critical, and creative texts and images.