Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Euripides Mythographus: The Mythographical Impulse of Greek Tragedy

Euripides Mythographus: The Mythographical Impulse of Greek Tragedy

Arriaza, Ariadna
Pàmias, Jordi

Hardcover

Series: Trends in Classics - Supplementary Volumes, Book 205

Literary Criticism

ISBN10: 3112237250
ISBN13: 9783112237250
Publisher: de Gruyter
Published: May 18 2026
Pages: 281
Weight: 1.27
Height: 0.69 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English

As literacy expanded in Classical Athens, myths became increasingly fixed through textualization, fostering a more analytical and critical approach to storytelling. Euripides did not merely adapt myths for the stage but actively interrogated their origins, authority, and reliability. His tragedies engage with myth in ways that go beyond poetic retelling, incorporating elements of metanarrative reflection, myth rationalization and skeptical revision that align closely with contemporary mythographical practices. Unlike earlier poets, who treated myth in a more authoritative way, Euripides problematizes it, highlighting competing versions and inviting audiences to question what is real or fictional. This volume examines the extent to which Euripides' engagement with myth mirrors the methods of the mythographers, positioning him as a pivotal figure in the development of myth criticism. His approach --marked by skepticism, intertextuality, and an awareness of myth as a constructed discourse-- foreshadows later developments in both historiography and literary analysis. Thus, Euripides Mythographus can be of great value for those scholars interested in exploring the boundaries between genres in the tragic poet.

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