This study of Euripides' Electra marries linguistics and literary criticism to provide novel insights into the interpretation of the play. Focusing on characterization, it demonstrates how the figures are shaped through their use of language, using...
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This study of Euripides' Electra marries linguistics and literary criticism to provide novel insights into the interpretation of the play. Focusing on characterization, it demonstrates how the figures are shaped through their use of language, using new means of analysis to argue for a balanced interpretation and challenge prevailing views. Cover -- Language and Character in Euripides´ Electra -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Preface -- Table of Contents -- List of Figures -- A Note on Citations, Abbreviations, and Cross-referencing -- Introduction: Modern Linguistics and Euripides´ Electra -- 1. Aims, approaches, outline -- 1.1. Reading, linguistically -- 1.2. Outline of the book -- 2. Linguistic approaches -- 2.1. Introduction: Bauformen and text types -- 2.2. Conversation analysis -- 2.3. Pragmatics -- 2.3.1. Speech acts -- 2.3.2. (Neo-)Gricean theories of meaning -- 2.4. Sociolinguistics -- 2.4.1. Gender -- 2.4.2. Politeness and power -- 2.5. Gnomic utterances in context: some aspects of modern paroemiology -- 2.6. Narrative and argumentative texts: discourse cohesion -- 3. Textual criticism -- 4. A view of the play -- 4.1. Characters and characterization -- 4.1.1. Conceptualization -- characterization through style -- 4.1.2. Electra and Orestes -- 4.2. Themes and motifs -- 4.3. Tradition (and the recognition scene) -- 4.4. The roads not taken . . . -- I: Rustic Language: The Peasant -- 1. Introduction -- 2. A peasant´s tale (1-53) -- 3. Husband and wife (54-81, 341-63, 404-31) -- 3.1. A marriage under face threat -- 3.2. Getting water (54-81) -- 3.3. Welcoming guests (341-63) -- 3.4. Preparing food (404-31) -- 4. Further stylistic points -- conclusion -- II: Constancy amid Change: The Linguistic Characterization of Electra -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Resistance through lament: the early scenes (54-81, 112-214) -- 2.1. Electra as mourner -- 2.2. Electra as wife -- 2.3. Electra as Argive `maiden´ -- 2.4. The characterization of Electra -- 2.4.1. Patterns of miscommunication -- 2.4.2. Electra´s character: the debate -- 3. Electra and her unexpected guest (215-338) -- 3.1. The stichomythia (215-89) -- 3.2. The `message´ (300-38) -- 4. Recognition and planning (487-698).
