The Death of ComedyIn a grand tour of comic theater over the centuries, Erich Segal traces the evolution of the classical form from its early origins in a misogynistic quip by the sixth-century B.C. Susarion, through countless weddings and happy endings, to the exasperated monosyllables of Samuel Beckett. With fitting wit, profound erudition lightly worn, and instructive examples from the mildly amusing to the uproarious, his book fully illustrates comedy's glorious life cycle from its first breath to its death in the Theater of the Absurd. |
From inside the book
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... Philocleon is our earliest example of a " humorous " character , one whose function is to " repeat his obsession " on the principle that " unincremental repetition ... is funny . ' " 69 One of Bergson's most im- portant general laws is ...
... Philocleon re- joices in his position as a juror , which he likens to that of the king of Olympus : PHILOCLEON : Is not the power I wield no less than Zeus ' ? After all , the same things that are said of Zeus are said of me .. If I ...
... Philocleon has re - channeled his energies , from seeking the thrill of potency from jury life , to ordi- nary - or , in his case , extraordinary - heterosexual indulgence . For Philocleon enters in triumph with Dardanis , a naked pipe ...
Contents
Getting to the Root of It I | 1 |
The Song of the Kōmos ΙΟ | 10 |
The Lyre and the Phallus | 27 |
Copyright | |
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