Oedipus Tyrannus: A New Translation. Passages from Ancient Authors. Religion and Psychology: Some Studies. Criticism (Paperback)

~ (Author), Luci Berkowitz (Editor), Theodore F. Brunner (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This translation is for the contemporary reader. Specifically commissioned for stage production, it rings easily on the modern ear and yet remains faithful to Sophocles' original, avoiding the archaisms of other translations. The text is accompanied by a wealth of carefully chosen background materials and essays.

"Passages from Ancient Authors" includes selections from Homer's Odyssey, Thucydides' account of the plague, and Euripedes' Phoenissae.

The best of ancient and modern criticism is represented, encouraging discussion from psychological, religious, anthropological, dramatic, and literary perspectives.

Under the heading "Religion and Psychology" are included writings on the Oedipus myth by Martin P. Nilsson, Meyer Fortes, Gordon M. Kirkwood, Thalia Phillies Feldman, and Sigmund Freud.

The authors of the selections in "Criticism" are Aristotle, C. M. Bowra, R. C. Jebb, S. M. Adams, A. J. A. Waldock, Albin Lesky, Werner Jaeger, Friedrich Nietzsche, John Jones, D. W. Lucas, Bernard M. W. Knox, Cedric H. Whitman, Richmond Lattimore, Robert Cohen, Francis Fergusson, and H. D. F. Kitto.

The special question of Oedipus's guilt or innocence is addressed in essays by J. T. Sheppard, Laszlo Versenyi, P. H. Vellacott, E. R. Dodds, Thomas Gould, and Philip Wheelwright. .

Language Notes

Text: English, Greek (translation)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; First Thus edition (July 17, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393098745
• ISBN-13: 978-0393098747
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #557,211 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oedipus Rules, March 30, 2000

By	David Kidd (Norfolk, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This translation facilitates the modern reader's understanding of this crucial and difficult ancient play. What's most impressive is that this edtion includes really helpful information and criticism for the general reader and the scholar. Not only will students and teachers benefit from the lucid scholarship, but the general reader will be intrigued by the volumes of historical, psychological, and dramaturgical essays in this book. Even Oedipus would wish his eyes back to be able to read this translation.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As modern today as it was in Ancient Greece, May 19, 2000

By	M. H. Bayliss "book queen" - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

We read this classic outloud in my high school class this year and my students could not believe how modern the themes were. Everyone can relate to the detective element (many critics claim this as the first true detective plot), the search for truth, the irony (the very definition of dramatic irony is Oedipus) and the gripping plot. I would also like to add that as always the Norton editions are by the far the best available. They have terrific background information and a great collection of pertinent essays. They make scholars out of just regular readers. If you never read Oedipus, buy it now!