Aristophanes and the Current Moment

Fifth-century Athens witnessed an extended moment of political and social turmoil, especially with the long Peloponnesian War, and Aristophanes has long been read as a respondent to this historical context. However, this volume turns away from this standard reading of Aristophanes' comedies, and takes the reader beyond the limits set by traditional historicizing readings. Instead, the contributors innovatively examine the plays from the view of what politicized readings with Aristophanes might yield. This approach is what is referred to as the 'current moment', which sees Aristophanes as a 'political correspondent' rather than a 'political respondent'. Each chapter presents a wide range of different perspectives, such as readings of Aristophanes as a political interventionist, the politics of reading him now with modern students and the dialogues in which he might be read with modern authors, such as Levi Strauss. As such, this study shows how Aristophanes' comedies are inseparable from our own thoughts and practices as historians, scholars and civic entities. As a result, this volume offers the reader innovative interpretations and self-reflexive dialogues regarding the resonances of Aristophanes' plays and the challenges of contemporary scholarly practice.