Description: This book examines the plays of the Greek comic writer Aristophanes and attempts to reconstruct the responses of the original audiences by using anthropological techniques to compare the plays with those Greek myths and rituals that share similar story patterns or subject matter. It is the first book to apply this type of analysis systematically to all the comedies, and also differs from earlier studies in that it does not impose a single interpretative structure on the plays. All Greek is translated.
Review Quotes: "Bowie's book is a refreshing examination of Aristophanes's use of myth and ritual." Martha Habash, Classical Journal