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The masks of Menander : sign and meaning in Greek and Roman performance by David Wiles; Cambridge University Press is a nonfiction available to read on EtoBox.

What is The masks of Menander : sign and meaning in Greek and Roman performance about?

This book provides a detailed analysis of the conventions and techniques of performance characteristic of the Greek theatre ofMenander and the subsequent Roman theatre of Plautus and Terence.Drawing on literary and archaeological sources, and on scientifictreatises, David Wiles identifies the mask as crucial to the actor'sart, and shows how sophisticated the art of the mask-maker became. Healso examines the other main elements which the audience learned todecode: costume, voice, movement, etc. In order to identify featuresthat were unique to Hellenistic theatre he contrasts Greek New Comedywith other traditions of masked comedy, and shows how different Romanconventions of performance rest upon different underlying assumptionsabout religion, marriage and class. David Wiles offers theatrehistorians and classicists a radical new approach to reading play texts.His book will also be useful to archaeologists seeking to understandwhat masks mean and how Greek and Roman theatres were used.Radical new approach to reading play textsExplains the significance of masksContrasts the different conventions between Greek and Roman theatre

Who reads The masks of Menander : sign and meaning in Greek and Roman performance?

Author

David Wiles; Cambridge University Press

Publisher

Cambridge University Press (Virtual Publishing)

Published

1991

Language

EN

ISBN

9780521543521

Category

nonfiction

Subjects

History, Literary Fiction, Anthropology