E. Berardi, M.- P. Castiglioni, M.-L. Desclos, P. Dolcetti (eds.), Filosofia, storia, immaginario mitologico. Nuovi approcci, 2022
For the ancient Greeks, the relationship between names and the things they designate was of consi... more For the ancient Greeks, the relationship between names and the things they designate was of considerable importance, found in various forms and in different kinds of text throughout ancient Greek history. From the «whatever name you want to be called» in hymns to the gods, to philosophical discussions about the connection between words and concepts, between names and things. Both these concerns are found throughout antiquity. The etymologizations that we often find in poetry, as far back as the Homeric tradition, are another aspect of the interest aroused by names, as is the
frequency of speaking names and the attention paid to the etymologies of characters’ names. In all these cases, the assumption is that there is some sort of relationship between name and thing named that is not purely arbitrary. In this paper we will present these various phenomena in relation to what is maybe the most defining characteristic of the Greek tradition, variability, and also in connection with the fact that one of the words for ‘character’ in Aristotle’s Poetics is precisely ὄνομα.
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Papers by Xavier Riu
frequency of speaking names and the attention paid to the etymologies of characters’ names. In all these cases, the assumption is that there is some sort of relationship between name and thing named that is not purely arbitrary. In this paper we will present these various phenomena in relation to what is maybe the most defining characteristic of the Greek tradition, variability, and also in connection with the fact that one of the words for ‘character’ in Aristotle’s Poetics is precisely ὄνομα.
may suggest an influence of comedy on the political and social life of the city; the alleged subjection of comedy to the various laws on slander; and, in particular, the purported prosecution of Aristophanes by Cleon.
literature of the classical period, only one passage connects παρρησία with comedy: Isocrates, On the Peace 14. This simple fact should render such a connection suspect, and it justifies a re‑examination of the evidence.
Marmontel’s essay, however, also shows how this notion starts to weaken and change into something else, particularly because of the desire to rescue comedy from its relative disrepute. I will try to analyse the components of this notion of comedy, their origin, and their later transformations.
frequency of speaking names and the attention paid to the etymologies of characters’ names. In all these cases, the assumption is that there is some sort of relationship between name and thing named that is not purely arbitrary. In this paper we will present these various phenomena in relation to what is maybe the most defining characteristic of the Greek tradition, variability, and also in connection with the fact that one of the words for ‘character’ in Aristotle’s Poetics is precisely ὄνομα.
may suggest an influence of comedy on the political and social life of the city; the alleged subjection of comedy to the various laws on slander; and, in particular, the purported prosecution of Aristophanes by Cleon.
literature of the classical period, only one passage connects παρρησία with comedy: Isocrates, On the Peace 14. This simple fact should render such a connection suspect, and it justifies a re‑examination of the evidence.
Marmontel’s essay, however, also shows how this notion starts to weaken and change into something else, particularly because of the desire to rescue comedy from its relative disrepute. I will try to analyse the components of this notion of comedy, their origin, and their later transformations.