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Kommentierung der Fragmente der griechischen Komödie

By means of the present project, an important contribution to Greek philology is realised, and a large step towards filling a current lacuna in the understanding of literature from Classical Antiquity (and thereby the history of education) undertaken.

Large swathes of Greek literature, in particular that of the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods, are not attested in fully preserved texts, but rather through fragments. To name a few significant examples, this applies not only to pre-Socratic and Hellenistic philosophy or to early lyric poetry, but also to drama. This means that a full portrait of the history of Greek literature is impossible without the inclusion of these fragmentarily preserved texts. In contrast to Greek tragedy, within comedy an enormous sum of testimonia and fragments from numerous authors (over 200) are at the researcher’s disposal, having been edited in the monumental publication of the “Poetae Comici Graeci” (R. Kassel and C. Austin, eds.), but still awaiting academic investigation. As of yet, 1,560 comic titles are presently known, hailing from the pens of 256 known authors. In this research project, new literary-historical ground is broken by means of commentaries on the fragmentarily preserved comic authors. Some of the present imbalance regarding a genre central to European literature is redressed. The aim of the commentaries is, on the one hand, the exploration of these generally difficult to understand texts from all possible perspectives (philological, literary, historical, archaeological), and, on the other, the attempt, where possible, at a reconstruction of the pieces, and, what is more, at an integration of the authors into literary history. The fragments and testimonia are translated into German. The results presented within the commentaries should segue into more general studies: for example, on comedy and comical techniques such as parody or satire, on political function, or on the development of terminology. The results of the research project will appear within the series “Fragmenta Comica” and “Studia Comica” (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen).

Persons

  • Prof. Dr. Bernhard Zimmermann (Project Leader)
Acronym
KomFrag
Running time
2011-2025
Project type
Edition

Contact person for the academies' programme

Sebastian Zwies M.A.

Geschäftsstelle Mainz
Union der deutschen Akademien der Wissenschaften
Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 2
55131 Mainz

Tel: 06131/218 528-17
E-Mail: sebastian.zwies@akademienunion.de