τοὐπὶ τῇ φακῇ μύρον (Sopater fr. 13, 1): Odysseus the Hedonist

The paper advances a new interpretation of the proverb τοὐπὶ τῇ φακῇ μύρον (“the perfume in the lentil-soup”) as attested in Sopater’s single surviving fragment from his play Nekyia, where it is used to satirically describe Odysseus. Sopater’s tiny fragment (one line and a half) reveals a mere, albeit strong, satirical tone towards Odysseus; yet, the essence of this satire is left entirely unexplained. Instead of the common view that the proverb presently conveys a notion of incongruity (as it does in other texts), the paper argues that here we need to allow for (if not implement) an alternative interpretation, that of hedonism. The argument in favour of this new interpretation is based on a number of ancient testimonies (including Aristotle’s) regarding both the proverb itself (provenance and gloss) and the later reception and misconstruing of Odysseus’ figure as a hedonist (as attested in ancient scholia on Homer, Athenaeus, and the comic tradition)

Surface and Deep Parody: The Case of Middle Comedy

The present study adopts an interdisciplinary approach towards the interpretation of Greek comedy, by using the recently established psychological model of “surface and deep parody” for the analysis of comic satire. According to this psychological model (where ‘parody’ is meant as ‘satire’), “surface parody” is defined as “simple distortion of reality by exaggeration”, whereas “deep parody” consists of a “re-categorization of the target”. In the present analysis this psychological pattern is applied mutatis mutandis to Middle Comedy fragments, with reference to the parody exercised against politicians, philosophers, hetairai, and fishmongers. The ensuing results are considered (i) under the light of a germane study regarding the application of the same psychological model in Aristophanic comedy, and (ii) with reference to the reality of fourth century Athens.The present study adopts an interdisciplinary approach towards the interpretation of Greek comedy, by using the recently established psychological model of “surface and deep parody” for the analysis of comic satire. According to this psychological model (where ‘parody’ is meant as ‘satire’), “surface parody” is defined as “simple distortion of reality by exaggeration”, whereas “deep parody” consists of a “re-categorization of the target”. In the present analysis this psychological pattern is applied mutatis mutandis to Middle Comedy fragments, with reference to the parody exercised against politicians, philosophers, hetairai, and fishmongers. The ensuing results are considered (i) under the light of a germane study regarding the application of the same psychological model in Aristophanic comedy, and (ii) with reference to the reality of fourth century Athens

A commmentary on selected fragments of middle comedy.

The period of Middle Comedy comprises more than fifty poets and more than one thousand fragments. In my thesis I study six of these poets Amphis, Aristophon, Dionysius, Mnesimachus, Philetaerus, and Theophilus. The study takes the form of a commentary on the more substantial fragments of these poets. The commentary deals with philological and textual issues. Through the use of antecedents and parallels where available, it also places the fragments within the context of the surviving corpus for each author and the comic tradition in order to trace the main motifs, trends, and patterns of this period. In many cases Old Comedy stands as the antecedent, and often Middle Comedy appears to pave the way for Menander and New Comedy. The picture that emerges is that of simultaneous continuity and change of Greek Comedy. Wherever possible I attempt to reconstruct at least the theme and on occasion the plot outline of the plays. My commentary is preceded by an introduction, where I deal with the question of the validity of the term "Middle Comedy", look briefly into the recent research relating to Middle Comedy, discuss questions of sources and their problems, and lay out the methodology that I deploy throughout the commentary

Predictive Capability of Anorectal Physiologic Tests for Unfavorable Outcomes Following Biofeedback Therapy in Dyssynergic Defecation

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the predictive capability of anorectal physiologic tests for unfavorable outcomes prior to the initiation of biofeedback therapy in patients with dyssynergic defecation. We analyzed a total of 80 consecutive patients who received biofeedback therapy for chronic idiopathic functional constipation with dyssynergic defecation. After classifying the patients into two groups (responders and non-responders), univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the predictors associated with the responsiveness to biofeedback therapy. Of the 80 patients, 63 (78.7%) responded to biofeedback therapy and 17 (21.3%) did not. On univariate analysis, the inability to evacuate an intrarectal balloon (P=0.028), higher rectal volume for first, urgent, and maximal sensation (P=0.023, P=0.008, P=0.007, respectively), and increased anorectal angle during squeeze (P=0.020) were associated with poor outcomes. On multivariate analysis, the inability to evacuate an intrarectal balloon (P=0.018) and increased anorectal angle during squeeze (P=0.029) were both found to be independently associated with a lack of response to biofeedback therapy. Our data show that the two anorectal physiologic test factors are associated with poor response to biofeedback therapy for patients with dyssynergic defecation. These findings may assist physicians in predicting the responsiveness to therapy for this patient population