Sophocles: The Classical Heritage, first published in 1996, contains a diverse collection of reflections, ranging from the 16th century to the 20th, on one of the three great Attic tragedians, the author of perhaps the most famous play of all time.
With the entire notion of ‘Western culture’ under duress, the need to establish continuity from antiquity to modernity is as pressing as ever. Each essay, selected by Professor Dawe, explores a theme or concept derived from the tragic vision of the Sophoclean universe which is still of relevance today. An enormous range of topics is investigated, in a variety of modes and styles: the linguistic challenges of translation, the psychology of Sigmund Freud, Enlightenment critiques, the history of performance conventions, dramatic structure and technique, and issues facing the modern director. Overall, Professor Dawe offers a staggering selection of responses, which cumulatively demonstrate the continuing importance and fascination of Sophocles’ legacy.
Series Preface; Introduction; Acknowledgements 1. Letter Describing the Performance of Oedipus Rex at Vicenza in 1585, Antonio Riccoboni 2. Oedipus at Vicenza and Paris: Two stages in a Saga, Pierre Vidal-Naquet 3. From Preface to Oedipus, Pierre Corneille 4. Letters on Oedipus, Letter III: Containing the Critique of the Oedipus of Sophocles, F. M. A. de Voltaire 5. Remarks upon Oedipus, Pierre Brumoy 6. What Lies behind the Notes: The Translations of the Antigone of Sophocles in the 18th century, Suzanne Saïd and Christian Biet 7. Preface: The Oedipus Tyrannus of Sophocles, Thomas Maurice 8. Preface: The Tragedies of Sophocles; Oedipus, King of Thebes, R. Potter 9. From Laokoon, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing 10. From Kritische Wälder: Erstes Wäldchen, Johann Gottfried von Herder 11. Hölderlin’s Translations, Wolfgang Schadewaldt 12. Sophocles and Hölderlin, R.B. Harrison 13. The Bride of Messina, Florian Prader 14. Life and Political Character in Sophocles – Character of His Different Tragedies, August Wilhelm von Schlegel 15. From The Conversations of Goethe with Eckermann and Soret 16. On the Irony of Sophocles, Connop Thirlwall 17. Lecture XXVIII, John Keble 18. The Oedipus Complex, Sigmund Freud 19. Chapter 10 of From Sophocles to Sartre, Käte Hamburger20. The Descendants of Labdacus in the Theatrical Works of Jean Cocteau, Démetrios N. Pantelodimos 21. Ancient Tragedy on the Modern Stage, Wolfgang Schadewaldt
Biography
Roger Dawe
