Lecture notes on Greek comedy and the work of Aristophanes, with commentaries on his plays the Knights and the Frogs, ca. 1884-1885.

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Leutsch, Ernst von, 1808-1887. Lecture notes on Greek comedy and the work of Aristophanes, with commentaries on his plays the Knights and the Frogs, ca. 1884-1885.

Lecture notes on Greek comedy and the work of Aristophanes, with commentaries on his plays the Knights and the Frogs, ca. 1884-1885.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/760312938

Ernst von Leutsch's handwritten notes for lectures he gave on the work of Aristophanes and on Aristophanes' plays the Knights and the Frogs, along with an introduction to Greek comedy in general. The manuscript includes one section of foliated leaves (1-61) with a note at the front dated 1884/85, bearing what appears to be an outline of the lectures. The manuscript is a compilation of parts that vary in appearance, so that some material might stem from a slightly earlier period; in the body of the notes, the latest date that could be found cited was 1878. The outline mostly pertains to the part of the manuscript concerning the Frogs; the accompanying 61 leaves contain references to the Frogs at the beginning, followed by what appears to be a glossary of vocabulary. Aside from this first section, the manuscript consists of individual gatherings of leaves with no numbering, so that the intended sequence is sometimes uncertain. About one-third of the manuscript concerns the history of Greek comedy in general, culminating in a discussion of Attic comedy; the life and work of Aristophanes; the development of his comedies; and then a detailed commentary on a play believed to be the Knights (the few introductory notes mention Demosthenes; one leaf is labeled Ar. Equit.). The remaining two-thirds of the manuscript is devoted to Aristophanes' Frogs. The detailed commentary on the Frogs is preceded by a substantial introduction discussing the theater of Athens; the performance of the play, the history of the year in which the play was first performed, the characters; and general aspects of the play. The sections of the manuscript containing the commentaries on the plays contain running references to verse numbers, proceeding from beginning to end (roughly 1 to 1400 for the Knights, and 1 to 1551 for the Frogs). Included is a publisher's advertisement found with the manuscript, from Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, dated October 1883, announcing the upcoming fifth year of Deutsche Litteraturzeitung, ed. Max Roediger. For Leutsch's commentary on another play by Aristophanes, The Birds, see Ms. Coll. 841, Box 24.

1 item, unbound (2 boxes)

University of Pennsylvania Library