AbstractofRusten,InSearchoftheOriginandEssenceofOldComedyPage1of3 JeffreyRusten,InsearchoftheoriginandessenceofOldComedy (ForthcominginMichaelFontaineandAdeleScafuro(eds),TheOxfordHandbooktoGreekComedy) ApproachingthesubjectfromadifferentpointofviewthanRusten2006(Whoinventedcomedy),I askwhataretheassumptionsthatunderlieboththeAristotelianandmodernattemptstoexplainthe existenceofOldComedy,bothhistoricallyandconceptually.Thefirstismoreinterestedinthe derivationofOldComedy,itsprecursors;modernsseekforitasingleorpredominantanimating principle. EvidenceforOldComedysoriginsisdifferentthanfortragedy(precisestartingdate,more artisticdepictions,laterandsingleauthorplays,unstableform),butscholarsoftenseemunableto examineitexceptintragedysshadow. I.

I.OldComedyinthePoetics InPoeticsAristotleseemstohaveinmindonlyOldComedy(thoughthepartition Old/Middle/NewseemsnottopredateHellenisticscholarship(Nesselrath1990,ignoredbyJanko2002); itwouldnotatallsuitAristotlesmethods,andhedoesnotusethesetermsevenfortheirrelative dating(forEN1128a22seeBOC579Nr1).HediedtheyearbeforeMenandersfirstproduction. Forhim,noliterarygenreremainscompletelyindependent,andcomedyisespecially subordinated:48a17worsesortofcharacterscomparedtotragedysbetter,49a2comedytoohasa Homericprecursor,49a4iambic/epicpoetsturntocomedy/tragedy,49a10Dionysiacdithyrambinto tragedy,phallica(onwhichseenowCsapoforthcoming)intocomedy,53a36happyendingsnotfor tragedybutcomedy. ButcomedyinPoeticslacksthelater(49b22)discussionofitsparts,techniquesandultimate function,dataonitsearlydevelopment(49b2),andacknowledgementthatithasreachedofitsown properphysis(cf.49a15fortragedy).NonethelessthreefeaturesofcomedyinterestAristotle:Thereare formsofcomedythatpredatetheAthenianoneandhaveinfluencedit(48a318),whatmakescomedy laughableistheaischronwithoutpain(49a32ff),comedyisthemostfictionalofallgenres(49b28, 51b12,cf.Antiphanesfr.189) WecanthereforespeculativelydeducesomeelementsofanAristoteliantheoryofcomedy: Theemotionalgoalofcomedyislaughter; Politicalsatire,dealinginnonfictionaltargetsandintendingtocausepaintothem,haslittleor noplaceinit; Butobscenityandscatologyprobablydohaveaplaceinit(phallicprocessions,Politics7 1336b423banningiamboi/comediestoyouths.Itisevenpossiblethedeclineinaischrologiain comediesofhisowndayEN1128a22isafalloff,analogoustohiscomplaintsabouttragedies thathavehappyendings; Thechorusmaynotoriginallyhavebeenapartofcomedy.Doriankmeliminatesthekmos fromtheirnameandsubstitutesindividuals,andAristotlespioneerEpicharmusshowsno evidenceofachorus. Ifso,whereastragedywasoriginallyachoruswithoutactors,precomedyhadindividual performersintowhichachoruswaslaterintegrated.Thisfliesinthefaceofthemanykmos vases,butitwouldexplainwhytheparticipationofthechorusincomedyissodifferentfrom tragedys(seeII.Abelow). Despitetheseconddeductioninparticular,Aristophanesrepresents(48a27)forhimthecomicclassic.

AbstractofRusten,InSearchoftheOriginandEssenceofOldComedyPage2of3 II.Formalism,folklore,religion,genericparasitism:ModernideasoftheessenceofOldComedy ModernscholarsmostlyseeknottheoriginsbuttheessenceofOldComedyfromthe11preservedplays ofAristophanes.Theydifferaccordingtoscholarlyconcernsoftheirday,andbecausetheymustaccount forconflictingevidencetendtobelengthyandcomplex.Thissurveyisanattemptataclassification. A.Metricanddramaticform Aristotlesays(49b24)Itwasonlywhencomedyalreadyhassomeofitsfeatures(schemata)thatits recordedpoetsarementioned.Thismayrefertoitsverycomplexmetricalanddramaticstructure, (audienceaddress,choralparticipationintheaction,Agon,Parabasis,endingintragedystyleepisodes andstasima)whichissuigeneris.Longversesareasfrequentastrimeters,responsionisnotstrophicbut epirrhematic(ABC,ABC,D)andincludesstichicaswellaslyricverses. Zielinski1885awasthefirsttodefinethestructure(Prologue,Parodos,AgonandParabasis) comprehensivelyandarguedthatitwasanIonicchoralformasopposedtothetraditionalDoricone (animprovisationbasedonthePoetics).Unfortunately,hewentstillfurther:inthemanycaseswhere theAgonislateorabsent(morethanhalftheplays)heassertedwearedealingwithrevisedversions. Healsoarguedthattheparabasis,whenthechorustakesoffitscostume,mustoriginallyhavebeenthe endofthecomedy,andthatAristophanes'postparabasisepisodeswerehisownexperiments. Mazon1904maintainedthatthesestructuresweremoreflexible,andtheinvariablerulesfor mostplayswerefewer:1)theactionneverstopsforachoralodeinthefirsthalfoftheplay;2) tetrametersareneverfoundoutsideoftheParodos,AgonandParabasis;3)sceneswhicharenotoneof thesethreetypesarewritteniniambictrimeters.Heconcludesthatthisuniqueformwasderivedfrom anarchaickmosinwhichagroupofrevelersattackedanindividualwhothendefendedhimself vigorously,leadingtoacelebratoryconclusion.Aristophanes'maininnovationistoinsert,betweenthe parabasisandthekomasticconclusion,theworkingoutindetailofhiscomicplot. B.Folklore Folkloresuitstheconceptionofcomedyaslow,popular,rural,subliterary,authentic.Zielinski 1885btracedacontrasttothe"Doric"mythologicalderivesthefolktalecomedyfromanIonic traditionofpopularstories.ThetaleoftheEaglebrotherinlaw(Thompson1946type552,p.55)he findsadaptedinBirds.Otherexamplesarefragmentaryplays,withanimaltitlesorthelike.Inthese caseshisreconstructionsareespeciallyboldinthatneithertheGreekcomedynorthefolktaleancient behinditisextant:bothhavetobereconstructed. Sss1905and1908assertedthattheprototypicfiguresofallcomicplotsare,first,thealazn, anintellectualormilitaryimposter,andinoppositiontohimthebmolochos,themockingrespecterof noone.Sifakis1992appliestheanalyticalcategoriesofVladimirPropptoreduceeachcomicplottoa limitednumberoffolktalefunctions,whicheachcharacterischargedtofulfill. C.Religion Ritualisstillawidelyacceptedmodelforalldramaticorigins,andtheplaysofAristophanesare pervadedwithreligiousexpression.Butproponentsofreligiousoriginsassertreligiouselementsthatlie submerged,andexistonlyinthesubconsciousofthespectators. Cornford1914movesthediscussionawayfrommetricalformstoanimpassionedargument (likeadramaitself,Zielinski1935:7),undertheinfluenceofacollaborationwithJaneHarrisonand GilbertMurrayinThemis:astudyinthesocialoriginsofGreekreligion(seeBeard2000chapter9and Versnel1990),thatallGreekdramaisinspiredbyritualsofthecalendar,borrowingfromthe"yearking" modelofFrazersGoldenBough.Zielinskisstructuresbecomestagesinaritualdrama,andSssthree

AbstractofRusten,InSearchoftheOriginandEssenceofOldComedyPage3of3 archetypalcharactersareaspectsofthesacredhero,whoconcludestheplayintriumphwithasacred marriage,asinPeaceandBirds.Butitispreciselyhiscentralconceptoftheyearkingthatcannotbe tracedinGreekmythorcult. Bowie1992(cf.2010)seesmorefamiliarGreekmythsandritualsunderlyingcomicplotsas patternsorarchetypes,andarguesthatsomecomediesevokefestivalsthatwouldstiremotionsinthe audiencenotexplicitlyarticulated.Someofthesearebytheirverynaturenearlyinvisibletothemodern readerandintensionwiththedefinitionofcomedy,sinceAristotle,asthemostnonmythicaland fictionalizingformofcomposition. Bierl2009makescomedyessentiallyreligiousthroughtheinsistencethateverychorusisaritual celebrant,sothatthemerepresenceofachoruscreatesaritualenvironment.Suchanargument involves,asherecognizes(49),rejectingthetheoriestracedabovethatdifferentiatethecomicchorus involvementintheactionfromthatoftragedy;forhim(54)thestructureofthecomedymimicsthatof theDionysia:pomp,agnandkmos.TherearesomesimilaritiesofmethodologywithCornford:the impositionofanabstract,externallyderivedtheoreticalmodel(hereperformancestudies),and minimizationofthedifferencebetweencomedyandtragedy. Halliwell2009:207disclaimsanyinterestincomicorigins,butexplorestheritualbasisofcomic obscenity,withasurveyofmandatedreligiousaischrology(forHalliwelluniquelyGreek)which AristophanesinFrogsassimilatestohisownstyleofobscenemockery. D.Genericinheritance,parodyandappropriation Comedyisthelatestclassicalgenreandusuallyviewedinitsrelationtoothers,butalsooftensnatches itsowncontentsfromthesegenericrivals,inparticulartragedy,studiedbySilk2000(amongothers). Cratinus(fr.342,BOC216)documentsthisincoiningEuripidaristophanize,buthehimselfiseven moreobsessedwithepic,iambicandsatyrplay(RosenforthcomingandBakola2010).Incontrastto Aristotle,thismostrecentapproachtotheessenceofOldComedyadoptsasitsteloswhatBakhtin1981 saidaboutthenovel,thatitalonecouldappropriateothergenreswhileremainingitself(Platter2007). Itspermanentcarnivalisanendlessmasquerade.TheessenceofOldComedyissoughtinitsvery diversityandlackofhomogeneity(Bakola,PrauscelloandTelforthcoming),anappropriateparadoxto pinitdownatlast.