Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz Publishes New Book, Greek Tragedy

Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz, the Margaret Bundy Scott Professor of Comparative Literature, has published a new book titled Greek Tragedy (Wiley and Blackwell).

The book provides answers to the question "Why does Greek tragedy continue to matter to us?" The conditions leading to its emergence in Athens and the nature of performance in the fifth century were very different from anything in today's world; yet the plays continue to be read and performed. Greek Tragedy takes on this apparent paradox, making clear both tragedy's strangeness and its relevance for contemporary audiences/readers. The book sets ancient tragedy into its original performance context--theatrical, political and ritual.
 
At the same time, in part through its examination of contemporary performance practice, in part through its detailed reading of selected plays, the book explains why tragedy—a key element in the creation of democracy and a public forum where basic issues of politics, family, and gender relationships were considered in antiquity—continues to provide modern audiences with sources of both pleasure and intellectual interest.