Theatrical Space and Historical Place in Sophocles' "Oedipus at Colonus" by Lowell Edmunds

by Lowell Edmunds

While Greek tragedies are often studied as works of literature, they are less frequently examined as products of the social and political environment in which they were created. Rarely, too, are the visual and spatial aspects of these plays given careful consideration. In this detailed and innovative book, Lowell Edmunds combines two readings of the "Oedipus at Colonus" to arrive at a new way of looking at Greek tragedy. Edmunds sets forth a semiotic theory of theatrical space, and then applies this theory to the visual and spatial dimensions of the "Oedipus at Colonus." In his historical analysis, Edmunds describes the Athenian revolution of 411 B.C.E. and its effect on Colonus. The book includes an appendix on the life of Sophocles and the reception of the "Oedipus at Colonus." Edmunds' unique approach to the "Oedipus at Colonus." makes this an important book for students and scholars of semiotics, Greek tragedy, and theatrical performance.

Paperback

First published September 30, 1996

About the author

Lowell Edmunds is an emeritus professor of Classics at Rutgers University with research interests in Greek literature and mythology.