Aeschylus' Oresteia, Silence, Criticism, Tragedy

grantor: University of TorontoIn a study of the poetic deployment of silence in Aeschylus' ' Oresteia', I identify a rhetorical form, which I call "silencing discourse," that is used by characters throughout the trilogy in order to prevent or ineffectuate dangerous utterances. I argue in particular that the behaviour and speech patterns of the chorus of the 'Agamemnon' can be characterised by a devoted commitment to silencing discourse and its semantic and semiotic structure. The structure of silencing discourse is then shown to be a major informing element in the staging and the narrative development of the trilogy, particularly in the manner in which Clytemnestra is staged during the parodos of the 'Agamemnon', but also in the characteristic staging of the 'Choephori' and the 'Eumenides'. Silencing discourse structures the relationship between Apollo and a series of "avenging" figures such as Clytemnestra and the Erinyes. However, Aeschylus intends a critique of the logic of silencing discourse: in his portrayal of Apollo, and then more extensively in his characterisation of the jury of Athenians in the 'Eumenides', Aeschylus introduces the notion of 'criticism' as a corrective to silencing discourse. In addition to providing a certain interpretation of the Athenian democracy, which I touch on lightly, criticism provides an explanation for the relationship between tragedy, or "tragic knowledge," in Jaspers' terms, and the tragic condition.Ph.D

A cultural history of Western music

"Music has been significant in social, religious, and political ritual, and in education, art, and entertainment in all human cultures from antiquity to today. The Cultural History of Western Music presents the first study of music in all its forms - ritual, classical, popular and commercial - from antiquity to today. The work is divided into 6 volumes, with each volume covering the same topics, so readers can either study a period/volume or follow a topic across history. The volumes are: 1. A Cultural History of Western Music in Antiquity 2. A Cultural History of Western Music in the Middle Ages 3. A Cultural History of Western Music in the Renaissance 4. A Cultural History of Western Music in the Age of Enlightenment 5. A Cultural History of Western Music in the Industrial Age 6. A Cultural History of Western Music in the Modern Age. The topics are identity, communities and society; changing philosophies and ideas about music; politics and power; musical exchange and knowledge transfer between the West and the non-West; musical education; popular culture and musical entertainment; the places, practices, and experiences of performance; and the development of music technologies and media. The page extent for the pack is approximately 1536 pp. Each volume opens with Notes on Contributors and an Introduction and concludes with Notes, Bibliography, and an Index"-- Includes bibliographical references and inde