BMCR 2009.07.38: Lauriola on Camerotto, Diafonie. Esercizi sul Comico. Atti del Seminario di Studi Venezia, 25 maggio 2006. Quaderni del Dipartimento di Scienze dell'Antichita\ e del Vicino Oriente, 3

Alberto Camerotto (ed.), Diafonie. Esercizi sul Comico. Atti del
Seminario di Studi Venezia, 25 maggio 2006. Quaderni del Dipartimento
di Scienze dell'Antichita\ e del Vicino Oriente, 3.  Padova:
S.A.R.G.O.N. Editrice e Libreria, 2007.  Pp. 164 (pb).  ISBN
978-88-95672-01-4.

Reviewed by Rosanna Lauriola, University of Idaho ([email protected])
Word count:  1985 words
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This is a collection of essays on Greek Comedy (mostly on
Aristophanes), originally presented in a seminar organized by the
Department of Classical Antiquity and the Near Eastern World at the
University of Venice "Ca' Foscari". The book consists of a Preface (pp.
7-12), seven contributions (pp. 13-154) and three indices (Index
locorum, Index verborum, Index rerum, pp. 157-164).

The Preface by the editor Alberto Camerotto includes, in addition to
the genesis of the book, a summary of the contributions,
acknowledgements, and an explanation of the title Diafonie, referring
to the "dissonances" identifiable in comedy that seem to work as a tool
of communication and composition.

"Giocare con le parole" ("Playing with words", pp. 13-43) by Simone
Beta (hereafter B.)  is the opening essay. By re-thinking some of the
topics he discussed in a recent book,[[1]] B. identifies four
techniques through which comic poets played with and created words: 1.
montaggio (assembling), the creation of a neologism through the
juxtaposition of two different words; 2. smontaggio (disassembly),
separating the components of a compound noun and often giving birth to
neologism; 3. fusione, fusion -- not simply juxtaposition -- of two
words; 4. mobilita/ dei confini (mobility between borders), playing
with the ambiguous meaning that the sound of two words' borders may
produce. The technique most used is that of assembling. B.
distinguishes the compounds made through assembling on the basis of
morphology (e.g., compounds with a preposition; compounds with the
patronymic suffixes), and theme (e.g., women; politics and politicians;
peace and war; justice and the legal system; food). As to disassembly
the author focuses on compounds with the suffix <greek>-pwles</greek>
in Knights 129-140 (where the result is not simply a neologism but also
a hapax legomenon), and <greek>philo</greek> in Wasps 75-88). Regarding
the fusion technique, B. discusses examples from Cratinus and
Aristophanes, such as <greek>*)Androkolwnoklh=s</greek> (Cratinus, fr.
281) and <greek>dwrodokisti/</greek> (Knights 996). The fourth
technique, i.e., mobility between borders, is among the more
interesting things B. has identified. The comic effect of this way of
manipulating language relies on the sounds that the rhythmic
pronunciation of words might cause by combining the borders of the
words themselves. A good example occurs in  Peace 41 where Aristophanes
might be playing with the nexus <greek>*Dio\s kataiba/tou</greek>,
given that the actor might have doubled the sound of the final
<greek>s</greek> of <greek>*Dio\s</greek> to make the audience hear
<greek>*Dio\s skataiba/tou</greek>, thus referring to the leitmotiv of
the prologue, i.e., <greek>skw=r</greek>.[[2]]

The overall taxonomy is helpful in analyzing Aristophanes' wordplay.
However, I have the impression that these techniques may sometimes
overlap, above all assembling and fusion; for example, the neologism
<greek>*Katage/la</greek> (Acharnians 606), analyzed as a result of
assembling with a preposition, might be also analyzed as a result of
fusion between <greek>*Kata/nh</greek> and <greek>gela/w</greek> with
the first part recalling a city -- in line with the previous names --
and the second one recalling the laughter already evoked through the
name of the city <greek>*Ge/la</greek>.

In "L'aprosdoketon in Aristofane. Alcune riflessioni" ("Reflections on
the aprosdoketon in Aristophanes", pp. 44-72), Michele Napolitano
(hereafter N.) investigates the dissonance that the technique of
aprosdoketon creates in order to unmask reality while at the same time
provoking laughter. Following previous scholarship that distinguishes
two kinds of spectators (the intelligent/smart spectators, and ordinary
ones), N. thinks that Aristophanes' aprosdoketon might have a double
purpose: mere laughter for the less aware; mature awareness, persuasion
and understanding through laughter for the smart. In this light N.
discusses two specific examples:  Thesmoporiazusae 39-63 (pp. 49-53)
and especially Knights 58-60 (pp. 53-64), where two aprosdoketa can be
identified: <greek>bursi/nh</greek> for the expected
<greek>mursi/nh</greek> and <greek>tou\s r(h/toras</greek> for the
expected <greek>ta\s mui/as</greek>. By involving a clear reference to
Cleon, both aprosdoketa aim at persuading the audience and creating a
consensus with reference to a theme already foreshadowed (Cleon's
manipulation of Demos), rather than at just surprising people and
making them laugh.

In "Simposi Imperfetti" ("Defective Symposia", pp. 73-89) Roberto
Campagner (hereafter C.) discusses the meaning of the symposium-theme
throughout Aristophanes' comedies, called "defective" because any
symposium scene presents anomalies whether of sequence or number of
elements characterizing the traditional pattern of symposium. Thus
Aristophanes' symposium is a way to interpret and criticize the
surrounding realities. C.'s discussion is based on a thematic
classification of sympotic scenes: War and Symposium; Politics and
Symposium; Symposium and the Justice System; Symposium and Society.
"War and Symposium" in my opinion, best shows C.'s main points,. C.
first argues for the connection between war and symposium by focusing
on a game that is linked to the excess and transgression that
uncontrolled drinking of wine may cause. The game is
<greek>ko/ttabos</greek>, which, together with a state of drunkenness,
is mentioned as the cause of the Peloponnesian War in Acharnians 525
ff. In C.'s opinion, a connection between <greek>ko/ttabos</greek> and
the war, which in turn attests to a connection between war and
symposium, may also be identified in Peace 1242-1244. Except for these
two passages where the symposium seems to be an occasion for displaying
aggressive behavior, C. emphasizes how the symposium is more suitably
connected to peace (p. 74), as in Peace 1127-1190 and Lysistrata
181-239, and he might have added Acharnians with its overt connection
between wine and peace and the <greek>sympotika\ ta\ pra/gmata</greek>
Dicaeopolis is about to celebrate (ll. 1142 ff.).

Francesco Valerio's (hereafter V.) essay, "Il catasterismo di Ione di
Chio e la Stella del mattino" (= "Ion's transformation into a star and
The Morning Star", pp. 91-97) discusses 832-837 of Aristophanes' Peace
and suggests restoring the manuscripts' lectio which has the servant
simply ask Trygaeus at l. 834 whether it is true that one who dies
becomes a star, rather than locating the question mark after "Ion, the
Chian" in the following line (l. 835). V. argues that the servant might
have asked for the confirmation of a common belief, and Trygaeus might
then have confirmed it by giving a concrete example. The only problem I
see is that V. seems to give Aristophanes' joke a positive tone, paying
homage to Ion; yet, one of the targets of Aristophanes' invective is
the so-called new music as represented by the contemporary dithyrambic
poets whose compositions are "airy" and vacuous, hence the typical
portrayal of the dithyrambographers as "floating/swanning" spirits in
the air and as collecting preludes (anabolai) in the sky (see Peace
827-831; Birds 1383-1385).[[3]] Ion the Chian is mentioned in a way
that makes him one of swanning poets collecting preludes in the air, a
"morning star roaming in air" as he sang in the prelude of Aoios
(<greek>*)Aoi=on a)erofoi/tan</greek>).

In "Parodia e pastiche musicali in Aristofane" ("Parody and musical
pastiche in Aristophanes", pp. 99-110) Elena Rocconi (hereafter R.)
emphasizes the musical component of passages subjected to parody,
suggesting that it would be more appropriate to speak of a musical
pastiche, i.e., simple imitation without any parodic intention, even
though scholars find a denigratory tone where the objects of such
imitations are lyric and tragic poets practicing the so-called new
music. R. focuses on Euripides and argues that, if there is parodic and
critical intention, it pertains to the questionable ethical essence of
Euripides' poetry rather than to the technical aspects of his musical
style. Thus in the lyric contest between Aeschylus and Euripides in
Frogs, by treating whore ditties, Meletus' drinking songs, pipe tunes
from Caria, dirges and dance music as Euripides' musical sources (ll.
1296-1308), and, by mentioning Euripides' introduction of "Cirene's
twelve tricks" in his music (ll.1326-1327), Aristophanes criticizes the
ethical degradation of Euripides' tragedy, and the musical imitation
simply helped the audience to recognize the musical style of the
imitated author.

I would agree that not all parodies involving a musical component
convey criticism of the technical aspects of the performance of the
music itself, but R.'s examples are confusing. For example, as R.
herself recognizes (p. 106 n. 41), the number twelve appears in the
context of criticism of music in Pherecrates, Chiron (fr. 155 K-A, 24
ff.), which to me means that the Cirene's twelve tricks implies a
criticism not only of the ethical essence of Euripides' songs and their
sources, but also of the technical way in which they are produced.

In "Sovversioni Aristofanee. Rileggendo il finale degli Uccelli"
("Subversion of traditional themes in Aristophanes. A further reading
of the Birds finale", pp. 111-128), Enrico Magnelli (hereafter M.)
proposes an original reading of the finale of Birds that also gives the
key to an overall re-interpretation of both the characteristics of the
protagonist  Peisetairos and the meaning of the comedy. M., persuaded
that Birds is a political allegory of contemporary Athens, argues that
this meaning of the comedy surfaces gradually.  Peisetairos is not a
negative character from the beginning; on the contrary he has qualities
and engages in actions that are typical of Aristophanes' comic hero.
The plot itself, for the first 1500 lines, is an expected one but
reverses with the answer  Peisetairos gives Heracles about the stuff he
is cooking: "It's just some birds found guilty of an oligarchic plot
against the state" (ll. 1583-1585). In M.'s opinion, this unexpected
thing is the result of a subversion of two traditional themes -- the
final banquet- and the land of plenty-themes --, a subversion due to
the fact that the final banquet does not consist of marvelous dishes
but of rebellious birds that have been executed, making clear the real
character, the final intentions of  Peisetairos and his egocentrism.
Nephelokokkygia is not an alternative to Athens, it is a reduplication
of the current Athens, characterized by demagogy, fear of tyranny,
manipulation of language, people aiming at oligarchic government, and
so forth.

The last essay is by Alberto Camerotto (hereafter C.), "Guerra e pace.
Poteri della parodia" ("War and Peace. The power of parody", pp.
129-154). C. proposes an interesting re-analysis of how Aristophanes'
use of parody becomes a tool of communication working not simply
through words but also through concrete objects. Hence the possibility
of identifying what C. calls "parodia degli oggetti" (parody of
objects, p. 11, 131, 137). Both words and objects are susceptible of
being reversed to such a point as to convey meanings that are contrary
to their own original ones. C. applies his re-analysis of parody to the
dichotomy war and peace. C. explains very clearly how the objects that
are symbola of war become tools for peace through the parodic re-usage
of those objects. For instance, in Peace, 1193-1194, an (unidentified)
object belonging to the experience of war is re-used to wipe tables for
the banquet, a typical feature of a world at peace. A similar reversion
into an object of daily life in time of peace takes place for the crest
(l. 1218), the trumpet (ll.1240-1244), and so forth. In "parodia della
parola" C. focuses on Lysistrata 185 ff. where the women decide to
swear an oath before undertaking their action. This oath is a parody of
the famous oath in Aeschylus' Seven against Thebes. The fact that the
original poetry subjected to parody is a "play full of Ares" (Frogs
1021) implies and foreshadows a series of reversions: from males, from
whom such an oath (as well as the protection of the land) is expected,
to women and from Ares to Aphrodite, given that the weapons women will
use are those of seduction (ll.42-54). C. ends with the parodic re-use
of other poets' auctoritas that enables Aristophanes to realize on the
stage what might be impossible in reality. For instance, in Peace, the
incredible flight of Trygaeus to Olympus becomes possible through the
parodic re-use of Euripides' Pegasus and Bellerophontes: Trygaeus could
devise a hippokantharos by using Euripides as his model.

Overall, despite the few doubts I have expressed above, the book is
pleasant and provides a wealth of suggestions for a reconsideration of
various aspects of Aristophanes' comedy. The variety of the topics will
satisfy readers with different interests and the exposition is clear.


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Notes:


1.   Simone Beta, Il linguaggio nelle commedie di Aristofane. Parola
positiva e parola negativa nella commedia antica. Roma: Suppl. n. 21/22
al Bollettino dei Classici. Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, 2004
(review: BMCR 2005-10-05)

2.   To B.'s list of related scholarly discussion (n. 96), add G.
Mastromarco, Commedie di Aristofane Torino 1983, vol 1, p. 573 n. 4,
where a similar hypothesis on the fusion of sounds is given.

3.   See G. Comotti, "L'anabolee/e il ditirambo" in Quaderni Urbinati
di Cultura Classica, XXXI, 1989, 111-117; G. Mastromarco - P. Totaro,
Commedie di Aristofane, Torino 2006, vol. 2, p. 264, n. 291. V. misses
the anabole detail. He does touch on the 'air' and 'flight' theme of
the new dithyramb (p. 91 and n.3), but he points to a mocking tone
behind that theme rather than a critical one.